A riot police officer is seen during a protest against Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno's austerity measures in Quito, Ecuador October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Romero

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno announced a military-enforced curfew starting in Quito and the surrounding valleys that started at 3 p.m. (2000 GMT) as the highland capital was rocked by unrest triggered by opposition to his austerity plan.

“We’re going to restore order in all of Ecuador,” Moreno said in a televised address to the nation. “We’re starting with the curfew in Quito. I’ve ordered the Joint Command of the Armed Forces to immediately take steps necessary to reestablish order in all of Ecuador.”

Moreno also thanked indigenous protest leaders for accepting talks, and blamed the unrest on radical instigators.