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February 28, 2023

Ecuadorian Indigenous Leader Eduardo Mendúa Assassinated at His Home
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In Ecuador, Eduardo Mendúa, an A'i Cofan Indigenous leader who fought
against oil extraction in the Amazon rainforest, was assassinated
Sunday. He was a member of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities
of Ecuador. The group said Mendúa was shot 12 times by two armed men
wearing hoods while he was at his home garden in the town of Dureno.
Mendúa's murder is believed to be linked to the community's fight to
block Ecuador's state-owned oil company, Petroecuador, from expanding
its drilling in the region of Sucumbíos.
Indigenous communities in the Ecuadoran Amazon have for decades dealt
with the horrific health and environmental impacts of oil production.
Over a decade ago, they won a lawsuit against Chevron over the spilling
of billions of gallons of crude oil, which contaminated the water and
soil and caused cancer rates among locals to skyrocket.


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