In Ecuador, state of emergency declared in prisons after the death of more than 100 inmates

Published on : 09/30/2021 – 01:07

Faced with the multiplication of clashes between rival gangs in Ecuador’s prisons, President Guillermo Lasso decided to declare, Wednesday, September 29, a “state of emergency” in all the country’s prisons. This announcement comes in the aftermath of violence that left more than 100 dead in Guayas prison.

“In Gayaquil, I will chair the security committee responsible for coordinating the actions necessary to control the emergency, guaranteeing the human rights of all those involved,” Guillermo Lasso said on his Twitter account.

A balance sheet revised upwards

Tuesday’s clashes, the deadliest this year, took place in the vast Guayas prison complex in Guayaquil, a port city and commercial hub in the southwest of the country.

“More than 100 detainees were killed and 52 injured” during the violence, the prison services (SNAI) announced on Wednesday evening. A previous report, given by the police commander of Guayaquil, General Fausto Buenano, who led the operations to regain control of the buildings, reported 30 prisoners killed in these clashes, six of whom were beheaded.

According to General Buenano, the victims bore “impacts from firearm projectiles and shrapnel from grenades”.

Ecuadorian prisons have for months been the scene of recurrent violence between criminal groups linked to drug trafficking.

With AFP