Ecuador indigenous protesters detain soldiers: army

Indigenous people block a road in El Chasqui, Cotopaxi province, Ecuador on August 13, 2015, during a strike organized by opposition indigenous groups and unions

QUITO - Indigenous protesters opposed to President Rafael Correa detained two soldiers who were on patrol in the southern mountains Thursday at dawn, the defense ministry said.

The soldiers were "detained by community members" in the province of Tungurahua, where indigenous Ecuadorans have been protesting against the government for the past week, the ministry said on its Twitter account.

The soldiers' captors are demanding the release of the more than 100 demonstrators arrested since the protests began, said the Ecuadoran Indigenous Peoples' Confederation.

The protests, which have included roadblocks throughout the country and a day of demonstrations in the capital Quito, have turned violent at times, leaving 105 police and 12 soldiers injured, according to the government.

Indigenous Ecuadorans are angry with Correa's government for moving to curb their power over water resources, education and land.

They also oppose a package of constitutional amendments currently before Congress that would allow Correa, a leftist economist in office since 2007, to stand for reelection when his current term ends in 2017.