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Ecuador army rescues captive President Rafael Correa
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Soldiers opened fire on police to rescue President Correa
Ecuador's President Rafael Correa has made a triumphant return to his offices after being rescued by soldiers amid a pitched battle with mutinous police.
Mr Correa left the clinic after soldiers opened fire on the police, following protests by officers angry at benefit cuts.
Moments later he appeared on the balcony of Quito's presidential palace.
He thanked thousands of cheering supporters and said he had just lived through the saddest day of his rule.
Continue reading the main story
Related stories
Ecuador unrest: Your stories
Profile: Rafael Correa
In pictures: Ecuador protests
The violence came after dark on a day of unrest in Ecuador that the president and his supporters said amounted to an an attempted coup.
Mr Correa had been holed up in the police hospital, where he was treated after being hit by tear gas in a confrontation.
Hundreds of police, angry over a law that would cut their benefits, appeared to have prevented him from leaving the clinic.
Under cover of darkness Mr Correa was reportedly smuggled out of the hospital in a wheelchair even as a gunbattle between troops and police was under way.
Unrest had been reported across Ecuador on Thursday amid anger at a new law cutting benefits for public servants.
Speaking to his supporters, Mr Correa said he hoped the events of the day would serve "as an example to those who want to bring a change and stop the citizens' revolution without going through the polls".
Mr Correa said at least one police officer had died during the gunbattle at the clinic. Earlier there had been unconfirmed reports that one person had been killed and several injured during the unrest.
There are unconfirmed reports that a second army operation against dissident police is still under way in Quito.
'Kill the president'
The drama began on Thursday morning when members of the armed forces and police angry at the austerity measures occupied several barracks and set up road blocks across the country.
TV stations showed images of police setting tyres on fire in the streets of Quito, Guayaquil and other cities. The National Assembly building was also occupied.
Police also took control of Quito's international airport for several hours.
Looting was reported in the capital and Ecuador's largest city, Guayaquil. Banks were robbed and schools and businesses closed.
Peru and Colombia closed their borders with Ecuador in solidarity.
In an emotional speech to soldiers from Quito's main barracks, President Correa tore at his shirt and said: "If you want to kill the president, here he is. Kill him, if you want to. Kill him if you are brave enough."
Moments later he was forced to flee the barracks wearing a gas mask shortly afterwards when tear gas was fired by the protesters.
The president was later treated for the effects of the gas at a police hospital. His supporters then alleged that dissident officers were preventing him from leaving the clinic.
Regional support
During the day Mr Correa received strong support from governments throughout the Americas, with a string of Latin American nations and the US all speaking up for the embattled president.
Within hours of the violence erupting in Ecuador, the South American regional body, Unasur, had called an emergency meeting and shortly afterwards leaders began arriving in Buenos Aires.
As they arrived in the Argentine capital, the presidents all condemned the violence and said they would do all they could to support democracy in Ecuador.
Continue reading the main story
Ecuador's political instability
2005: President Lucio Gutierrez deposed after two years, following massive protests in response to his attempt to overhaul the Supreme Court
2000: Jamil Mahuad, elected 1998, forced to step down as president after two years following indigenous protests led by Col Lucio Gutierrez
1997: President Abdala Bucaram, nicknamed "El Loco" ("the crazy one"), declared mentally unfit to rule after a year in power
1987: President Leon Febres Cordero kidnapped and beaten up by the army in protest at policies of privatisation and public expenditure cuts
Ecuador timeline
Mr Correa has blamed the Patriotic Society Party (PSP), led by Lucio Gutierrez, for fomenting the unrest, and said "bad elements" in the police force would "be removed".
On Wednesday, one minister had said President Correa was considering disbanding Congress because members of his Country Alliance had threatened to block proposals to shrink the bureaucracy.
Ecuador's two-year-old constitution allows the president to declare an impasse and rule by decree until new elections. However, such a move would have to be approved by the Constitutional Court.
The BBC's Will Grant, in neighbouring Venezuela, says Mr Correa could still choose to rule by decree in an effort to stay in control in the immediate future.
Ecuador has a history of political instability. Protests toppled three presidents during economic turmoil in the decade before Mr Correa, a 47-year-old US-trained economist, took power in 2007.
He was re-elected to a second term in 2009 despite a decision to default on $3.2bn of global bonds causing widespread fiscal problems for the government. Mr Correa declared the debt "illegitimate".
More on This Story
Related stories
Ecuador unrest: Your stories 01 OCTOBER 2010, LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
Profile: Rafael Correa 30 SEPTEMBER 2010, LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
In pictures: Ecuador protests 30 SEPTEMBER 2010, LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
Ecuador timeline 04 AUGUST 2010, COUNTRY PROFILES
Ecuador country profile 04 AUGUST 2010, COUNTRY PROFILES
Ecuador president dons gas mask 30 SEPTEMBER 2010, LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
Ecuador army rescues captive President Rafael Correa
Click to play
Click to play
Soldiers opened fire on police to rescue President Correa
Ecuador's President Rafael Correa has made a triumphant return to his offices after being rescued by soldiers amid a pitched battle with mutinous police.
Mr Correa left the clinic after soldiers opened fire on the police, following protests by officers angry at benefit cuts.
Moments later he appeared on the balcony of Quito's presidential palace.
He thanked thousands of cheering supporters and said he had just lived through the saddest day of his rule.
Continue reading the main story
Related stories
Ecuador unrest: Your stories
Profile: Rafael Correa
In pictures: Ecuador protests
The violence came after dark on a day of unrest in Ecuador that the president and his supporters said amounted to an an attempted coup.
Mr Correa had been holed up in the police hospital, where he was treated after being hit by tear gas in a confrontation.
Hundreds of police, angry over a law that would cut their benefits, appeared to have prevented him from leaving the clinic.
Under cover of darkness Mr Correa was reportedly smuggled out of the hospital in a wheelchair even as a gunbattle between troops and police was under way.
Unrest had been reported across Ecuador on Thursday amid anger at a new law cutting benefits for public servants.
Speaking to his supporters, Mr Correa said he hoped the events of the day would serve "as an example to those who want to bring a change and stop the citizens' revolution without going through the polls".
Mr Correa said at least one police officer had died during the gunbattle at the clinic. Earlier there had been unconfirmed reports that one person had been killed and several injured during the unrest.
There are unconfirmed reports that a second army operation against dissident police is still under way in Quito.
'Kill the president'
The drama began on Thursday morning when members of the armed forces and police angry at the austerity measures occupied several barracks and set up road blocks across the country.
TV stations showed images of police setting tyres on fire in the streets of Quito, Guayaquil and other cities. The National Assembly building was also occupied.
Police also took control of Quito's international airport for several hours.
Looting was reported in the capital and Ecuador's largest city, Guayaquil. Banks were robbed and schools and businesses closed.
Peru and Colombia closed their borders with Ecuador in solidarity.
In an emotional speech to soldiers from Quito's main barracks, President Correa tore at his shirt and said: "If you want to kill the president, here he is. Kill him, if you want to. Kill him if you are brave enough."
Moments later he was forced to flee the barracks wearing a gas mask shortly afterwards when tear gas was fired by the protesters.
The president was later treated for the effects of the gas at a police hospital. His supporters then alleged that dissident officers were preventing him from leaving the clinic.
Regional support
During the day Mr Correa received strong support from governments throughout the Americas, with a string of Latin American nations and the US all speaking up for the embattled president.
Within hours of the violence erupting in Ecuador, the South American regional body, Unasur, had called an emergency meeting and shortly afterwards leaders began arriving in Buenos Aires.
As they arrived in the Argentine capital, the presidents all condemned the violence and said they would do all they could to support democracy in Ecuador.
Continue reading the main story
Ecuador's political instability
2005: President Lucio Gutierrez deposed after two years, following massive protests in response to his attempt to overhaul the Supreme Court
2000: Jamil Mahuad, elected 1998, forced to step down as president after two years following indigenous protests led by Col Lucio Gutierrez
1997: President Abdala Bucaram, nicknamed "El Loco" ("the crazy one"), declared mentally unfit to rule after a year in power
1987: President Leon Febres Cordero kidnapped and beaten up by the army in protest at policies of privatisation and public expenditure cuts
Ecuador timeline
Mr Correa has blamed the Patriotic Society Party (PSP), led by Lucio Gutierrez, for fomenting the unrest, and said "bad elements" in the police force would "be removed".
On Wednesday, one minister had said President Correa was considering disbanding Congress because members of his Country Alliance had threatened to block proposals to shrink the bureaucracy.
Ecuador's two-year-old constitution allows the president to declare an impasse and rule by decree until new elections. However, such a move would have to be approved by the Constitutional Court.
The BBC's Will Grant, in neighbouring Venezuela, says Mr Correa could still choose to rule by decree in an effort to stay in control in the immediate future.
Ecuador has a history of political instability. Protests toppled three presidents during economic turmoil in the decade before Mr Correa, a 47-year-old US-trained economist, took power in 2007.
He was re-elected to a second term in 2009 despite a decision to default on $3.2bn of global bonds causing widespread fiscal problems for the government. Mr Correa declared the debt "illegitimate".
Related stories
Ecuador unrest: Your stories 01 OCTOBER 2010, LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
Profile: Rafael Correa 30 SEPTEMBER 2010, LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
In pictures: Ecuador protests 30 SEPTEMBER 2010, LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
Ecuador timeline 04 AUGUST 2010, COUNTRY PROFILES
Ecuador country profile 04 AUGUST 2010, COUNTRY PROFILES
Ecuador president dons gas mask 30 SEPTEMBER 2010, LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
