Confrontation Between Gangs Leaves 13 Dead in Ecuadorian Prison

On Monday, clashes between criminal gangs left 13 inmates dead and two injured in Santo Domingo City's prison in Ecuador.

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In the images of the clashes spread on social networks, the dismembered and decapitated bodies of the victims can be seen. The event was described by local outlets as a "massacre."

This is the second brawl recorded in this prison since May, when 44 dead and 10 wounded were also reported. Criticism of President Guillermo Lasso was immediate given that the events show the Ecuadorian state has lost control over what happens inside prisons.

Since 2020, over 400 prisoners have been killed in clashes between rival gangs vying for territory and running illicit businesses from behind bars. In most of these violent events, which have made dismemberment and beheading their distinctive feature, authorities have promised that similar events would not happen again.

"Who allowed weapons to enter the Santo Domingo prison? Isn't that a product of the corruption of the prison guards?" said Gustavo Guerrero, a citizen who stressed that President Lasso is responsible for the perpetuation of corruption.

"How long will we suffer the consequences of the government's ineffectiveness?... The Santo Domingo governor, the director of ECU 911, and the prison's director must leave their posts," outlet WLa Radio tweeted.

"Terror! Ecuador is a failed state. Total anarchy. We have no government," said the National Unity Table of Social Organizations, which recalled that the Lasso administration has decreed successive states of emergency that have failed to control crime.