On Monday, inmates from various Ecuadorian penitentiary centers staged riots after knowing about the escape of Jose Macias, aka Fito, the leader of “The Choneros,” a criminal group linked to international drug trafficking.

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Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa convened an urgent meeting of the State Security Council (COSEPE) on Sunday when the public knew about Fito’s escape. So far, there is no official information on when his escape took place, although local media commented that he escaped along with about 20 prisoners during Christmas or New Year’s festivities.

“Fito’s escape now represents not only the fragility of our security system, but also a catastrophe for our democratic institutions. We are all at risk,” former Interior Minister Jose Serrano said in an interview with Pichincha Comunicaciones.

“Fito makes fun of the institutions, while Ecuadorians have a President who appears cutting his hair,” he added, referring to President Noboa’s trivial political communication.

The text reads, “The Ecuadorian prisons are taken. The same message is repeated by the guides who have been kidnapped by prisoners in various prisons in the country. ‘We are parents and heads of a household, who in many cases understand your actions, but we reproach you for not worrying about the people who are on the battlefield, nursing bullets.'”

On Monday, violent incidents have occurred in prisons located in Quito, Cuenca, Latacunga, Riobamba, and Machala, while security forces were mobilizing from Guayas to Manabi.

Up to now, the National Service for Attention to Persons Deprived of Liberty (SNAI) has not issued official statements on the matter. However, it announced that it would make a statement “at the right time.”

In Quito’s El Inca prison, the first to report a riot, the Fire Department reported a structural fire occurrence, while numerous security forces arrived in the vicinity, overseen by a helicopter.

The police entered the prison around 10:30 AM local time, where several inmates attempted to escape. Two of them were recaptured later.

In Cuenca city, some inmates went to the security guard booth, while others walked on the prison roofs. Prison guards and administrative staff were evacuated. Currently, only specialized security forces are present.

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