Indigenous group marching against Ecuador president

Hundreds of Ecuador’s indigenous people are marching from an Amazon province towards the capital in protest against President Rafael Correa, joining mounting anti-government dissent.

The protesters on a nine-day march from the Amazon province of Zamora Chinchipe to Quito declared an “uprising” against the government Monday, while opposition protests have been called for nationwide.

Correa said on Twitter that this week would be a defining one for the country, and called on his supporters to show their backing.

He has said the indigenous rally against him would be a failure.

The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador staged a similar rally last year, but this time around the protest comes amid mounting calls for the president’s ouster.

In power since 2007, Correa has fallen out of favor with many in Ecuador and thousands have demonstrated since June in rejection of his socialist policies.

Indigenous groups have asked for the power to manage water and land resources in their territories.