An agreement between the Panamanian government and the indigenous population to open a section of the highway to protesters in exchange for lower fuel prices.

The Panamanian government and indigenous leaders have reached an agreement that the protesters will evacuate part of the Inter-American Highway in exchange for lower fuel prices, while other demonstrators continue to block other sections of the strategic route, demanding more demands from the authorities.

The agreement was signed in a church in the province of Chiriqui, where most of the food consumed in Panama is produced.

Feeding the population of Panama was difficult due to two weeks of demonstrations in Chiriqui and other parts of the country against rising commodity prices, inflation and corruption. Despite the signing of the agreement, most sections of the highway linking Panama with the rest of Central America remained closed due to large trucks and demonstrators.

Annual inflation was recorded in Panama at 4.2% in May last year, in addition to nearly 10% unemployment and about 50% rise in fuel prices since January. On July 14, the price of a gallon of gasoline (3.78 liters), which has risen 47 percent since the beginning of the year, reached $5.17.