Intelligence Agents Storm San Ignacio Community, Targeting Leonidas Iza
On August 18, intelligence agents from Ecuador’s General Directorate of Intelligence raided the San Ignacio community, reportedly attempting to assassinate Leonidas Iza, the former presidential candidate and past president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), according to the Indigenous and Farmers Movement of Cotopaxi (MICC). The group condemned what they described as a systematic pattern of violence against Indigenous leaders, reports 24brussels.
The MICC issued a statement emphasizing that the incident is part of a broader campaign of persecution, including harassment, death threats, and defamation targeting those who oppose President Daniel Noboa’s administration. “We firmly denounce the events of Aug. 18… sowing terror and attempting against the life of our comrade Leonidas Iza,” the statement read.
Furthermore, the organization accused Noboa and his government of being accountable for any harm that comes to Iza and other leaders, branding the current climate as nothing short of “the dictatorship of the rich in disguise.” Their message underscored a commitment to resist government oppression, stating, “What we are living today is not democracy.”
On social media, La Posta reported on the incident, highlighting that detained intelligence agents were found with messages on their cell phones indicating a potential plot against Iza’s life. The MICC reiterated their demand for accountability, declaring a “permanent assembly” until the authorities take action against the agents involved and cease political oppression of Indigenous communities.
“We call on our membership, provincial, regional and national structures, the peoples and nationalities of Ecuador, and the international community to raise a red alert against the authoritarianism and state terrorism that they seek to install in the country,” the MICC asserted, vowing that neither persecution nor violence would deter their fight for justice and dignity against systemic oppression.
