Ecuador loses control of Amazon city in anti-government protests

FILE PHOTO: A protester throws a tear gas canister fired by security personnel after Ecuador's armed forces warned they would not allow ongoing protests against President Guillermo Lasso's economic policies to damage the country's democracy, in Quito, Ecuador June 21, 2022. REUTERS/Santiago Arcos

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador's government is trying to retake control of Puyo, a city in the country's Amazon region, after violent clashes and the burning of a police station by demonstrations during nationwide protests against the economic policies of President Guillermo Lasso.

Protests have been ongoing for more than a week, with marchers and major indigenous groups angry at rising cost of food and other basic goods.