 After 18 days of national strike in Ecuador, an agreement has been reached between the key organizations behind the strike and the government. The citizens who braved fierce repression and violence on the streets for more than two weeks have emerged victorious. The strike that began on June 13th, characterized by massive protests and roadblocks across the country, was organized by indigenous, peasant, and Afro-descendant organizations. But when the peasants take the products and sell them to the cheapest, how do they treat us? How do they treat us? Indians. They don't let us sell in the markets. Comrades. So how do we want society to be adjusted? That's why we fought, comrades, comrades. And I want to tell you, one of the ways to be equitable in any country in the world, what are the policies that allow us to support the poorest? And in this country, there are no policies to support the poorest. There are even more for the big guys. For the big guys, at a certain time, who give away things. In the last humanitarian mission, $4,500 million was given to them. But poor comrades, there is nothing. The strike ended after a deal was signed by government minister Francisco Jimenez, indigenous leader Leonidas Issa, and the head of the Episcopal Conference, Monsignor Luis Cabrera, who acted as mediator. The protests had put forward a set of 10 demands, which were the basis for the agreement with the government. A 90-day window has been given to the government to comply with the agreement. Massive marches have been going on in Quito, as well as in other major cities for almost three weeks. The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, National Confederation of Peasant Indigenous and Afro-descendant Organizations, and the Council of Indigenous Evangelical Peoples and Organizations of Ecuador, were the key organizers of the protests. The demands of the protesters included control of inflation, increased employment opportunities, an end to privatization of public companies, more spending on health and education, their prices for farm produce, and an end to violence and drug trafficking. They also called for ending exploitative activities in indigenous territories and respect for the collective rights of indigenous peoples and nationalities. The protesters were also successful in compelling LASO to increase monthly payment to poor families by 10 percent, to subsidize fertilizers, forgive depths of small farmers, and to double the education budget for schools teaching indigenous languages, among other measures. The people are happy, they go through painful things, the citizenry goes against it. The longer the fight is, the more the citizenry is devastated. But we would also wait for them to understand us, because poor people don't have another mechanism. After talking once, twice, and in a dialogue table, and that nothing comes out, but that the crisis, the poverty, are more screwed for the poorest people, we don't have other options to fight. Last weekend, LASO had attempted to quell the protests by announcing a reduction in fuel prices, but by much less than the protesters had demanded. Indigenous organizations then had rejected the announcement and said that the measure was insufficient and insensitive, and did not sympathize with the situation of poverty faced by millions of families. Throughout the strike, indigenous and human rights organizations also vehemently denounced the violence and repression inflicted on protesters by state forces. According to data from the Alliance for Human Rights Organization, between June 13th and 29th, state security forces committed 76 types of human rights violations against citizens participating in the national strike. The organization also reported that six protesters were killed, 152 were detained, and 331 were injured. Organizations also criticized Interior Minister Patricio Carrillo for promoting hatred, racism, and violence against indigenous demonstrators and demanded his dismissal. They have also affirmed that the perpetrators of the physical and psychological violence against protesters must be investigated independently of the agreement.