The security forces in Ecuador are on alert as protests to demand the resignation of the president, Jamil Mahuad, get underway.

There have been reports of sporadic clashes between police and demonstrators trying to reach the presidential palace in the capital, Quito.

Police moved quickly to clear roads blocked by indigenous groups in the mountainous areas of the country.

The administrative staff of the state oil company have gone on strike and joined opposition groups in calling for a government of national unity to help Ecuador recover from its economic crisis.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service