Chaotic Weekend in Ecuadorian Prisons Leaves 6 Dead

On Sunday, six inmates were killed and 11 others injured in armed clashes between rival groups at a prison in southwest Ecuador.

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The National Administration of Prisons (SNAI) said that the violence broke out on Saturday at Guayas Prison No. 1 in Guayaquil, which is known as Ecuador's most violent city.

Security personnel and elite police units are searching the prison in the wake of the riot, and security protocols have been activated at all prisons nationwide.

Currently, several prison guards are also being held hostage by inmates in four prisons located in the provinces of Cotopaxi, Azuay, Cañar, and El Oro.

The tweet reads, "Five inmates died and 11 people were injured after confrontations between police officers and hostages in a jail in Guayaquil, Ecuador."

"The corresponding actions are being carried out by the security institutions to release them and return to normality," SNAI said, adding that the detained guards were "in good condition."

The Ecuadorian authorities also reported that inmates in jails in ten provinces were carrying out hunger strikes but did not provide further details about these acts of protest.

Since 2020, Ecuadorian prisons have been the scene of a series of massacres in which the dispute between rival gangs has left over 450 prisoners. Gang-related violence has also moved to the streets, where organized crime groups fight for control of drug trafficking routes.

Since Guillermo Lasso became president in 2021, security in this Andean country has deteriorated as a result of neoliberal policies favoring the reduction of public spending. Ecuador has become one of the main cocaine export routes to North America and Europe.