Hundreds of indigenous families have occupied the area directly in front of the Paraguayan Indigenous Institute in the capital Asunción, accusing the government of Federico Franco of failing to attend to “those who have fallen into extreme poverty”.

The protesters had initially marched to the National Emergency Ministry to demand the urgent delivery of food, given the dire conditions many of them are living in, before occupying the Paraguayan Indigenous Institute and its surrounding streets. They have since set up tents and a cooking area, stocked with food donated by local residents.

The families have come from the Canindeyú department, more than 240km from the capital, and have stated that they will only vacate the area once their demands are met. They claim that officials of the Institute have failed on numerous occasions to deliver promised food, mattresses, and agricultural equipment.

Tomás Domínguez, leader of the protest movement, stated “we are living in total misery, amongst garbage and flies, because of this liberal government”.

This protest is the latest in a series of demonstrations that the Franco administration has faced since coming to power in June, in what many consider a parliamentary coup. On 26th September landless farmers announced that they would begin occupying thousands of hectares of private land, and the National Peasant Federation has protested against the government’s controversial decision to use genetically modified seeds for corn and cotton crops.