Ecuadorian Rights Group Sues government to Enforce Amazon Oil Extraction Halt Mandated by Referendum
QUITO, Ecuador – An Ecuadorian rights group has filed a lawsuit demanding the government promptly halt oil extraction in the Ishpingo, Tambococha, and Tiputini (ITT) block of Yasuni National Park, two years after voters approved a referendum calling for the end of drilling in the ecologically sensitive area. Despite the public mandate, extraction continues, with only a limited number of the approximately 240 wells closed to date.
The lawsuit, filed with the Constitutional court, seeks to compel the government to suspend oil extraction, cancel related contracts and licenses, and develop a thorough plan with a firm timeline for decommissioning the oil wells. It also calls for the dismissal of government ministers and officials deemed to have ignored the referendum results,including the environment and energy minister and the general manager of Petroecuador.
In May 2023, the Constitutional Court ruled that if the referendum passed, oil extraction in the ITT block must cease immediately and all wells be shut down by August 31, 2024 – a ruling currently under compliance monitoring.
Yasuni National Park is home to several Indigenous groups, including the Waorani, Kichwa, Tagaeri, and Taromenone peoples, some of whom live in voluntary isolation. Juan Bay, President of the Waorani Nationality of Ecuador, recently addressed global climate leaders, stating, “the Ecuadorian people made a democratic decision to keep oil in Block 43 underground. Yet two years have passed, and the government still has not shown the will to comply.”
The legal action comes during a period of meaningful political and social unrest in Ecuador. Recent protests led by the country’s largest Indigenous association, sparked by the government’s removal of diesel fuel subsidies in September and October, were met with what Human Rights Watch has verified as governmental repression, resulting in two deaths, 473 injuries, and 206 detentions. The Noboa management has also publicly challenged the authority of the Constitutional Court,labeling it “the enemy of the people.”
A nationwide referendum is scheduled for November 16 to consider a new constitution. The outcome of this case could serve as a critical test of the Noboa government’s commitment to upholding the rule of law.
