QUITO, Sept 17, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Ecuadoran President Daniel Noboa decreed a state of emergency Tuesday in seven provinces of the violence-wracked South American country over protests against his elimination of fuel subsidies.

Noboa announced the cut last week in a bid to save $1.1 billion that he said would be redirected to social assistance and agricultural support programs.

The move saw the price of diesel soar from $1.80 to $2.80 per gallon (48 cents to 74 cents per liter) in a country where nearly a third of the population is poor.

Efforts by two previous presidents to eliminate the costly subsidy were met with violent demonstrations. These were spearheaded by the powerful Conaie Indigenous group, credited with unseating three Ecuadoran leaders between 1997 and 2005.

Conaie has spoken out against the subsidy cut, which it said "harms the impoverished" most, but the group has not officially joined the latest protest movement.

On Tuesday, protesters blocked the Pan-American North highway outside the capital Quito with stones, following a blockade of several roads by truck drivers the previous day.

Noboa, who was reelected in April as voters endorsed his iron-fisted approach to rampant cartel violence, on Tuesday cited "severe internal unrest" in declaring a 60-day state of emergency for seven of Ecuador's 24 provinces.

His government says the blockades "have caused complications in the food supply chain" and impact the "free movement of people, paralyzing various economic sectors."

The decree suspended the right to assembly and authorized military deployment "to prevent and dismantle gatherings in public spaces where threats to public safety are identified."

University students have called for a protest in Quito later Tuesday, while the United Workers Front (FUT) union has planned a march for next week.

Last year, Ecuador -- a top oil producer -- faced rolling blackouts that forced its economy into recession.