President Noboa's economic agenda — marked by fiscal austerity, subsidy removals and an expansion of extractive industries — has deepened rural poverty, driven up food prices and widened youth unemployment, disproportionately affecting Indigenous and farming communities. In response, CONAIE, the Unitary Workers' Front, the National Students' Coordinator and other social groups launched a nationwide strike on September 22 that has now reached its 23rd day.