Ecuador's President Lasso declares state of exception over protests

FILE PHOTO: People protest against President Guillermo Lasso's economic and environmental policies, in Quito, Ecuador, June 16, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna Alarcon/File Photo

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso has declared a state of exception in three of the Andean country's provinces, in a bid to calm protests called by indigenous groups in rejection of the government's economic policies.

The measure will last for 30 days in the provinces of Imbabura, Cotopaxi, and Pichincha - areas that include capital city Quito - which have seen greater violence amid protests, with attacks on flower farms and damage to infrastructure, while police officers have also been detained by protesters.