Six inmates were killed in “unrest” that took place on Friday at a prison in Guayaquil, a large city in southwestern Ecuador where violence between prisoners has claimed more than 430 lives since 2021, authorities said.
• Also read: Ecuador: At least six dead in gang conflict in prison
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“An incident occurred” in one of the areas of Guayas 1 prison and “six deceased were recorded,” the prison administration (SNAI) said in a press release.
For its part, the public prosecutor’s office pointed out that “in view of the unrest on Friday afternoon, security protocols will be observed (…).”
AFP
“In the coming hours, specialized military personnel will carry out initial incursions and reconnaissance in District 7, where the incidents allegedly began, in order to bring the situation under control,” added the prosecution on X (ex-Twitter).
Guayas 1 is one of five prisons that make up the large Guayaquil prison complex. There are regular clashes between prisoners linked to the drug trade in an attempt to expand their power.
The government claims that gangs of imprisoned drug traffickers are waging a war for control of the drug trade and that this increasing violence has killed more than 430 prisoners since February 2021, including dozens dismembered or burned.
AFP
On the streets, the number of homicides quadrupled between 2018 and 2022, to a record 26 per 100,000 inhabitants, in a country previously considered an island of peace in the region.
In Ecuador, which has a population of 16.9 million according to the 2022 census, the murder rate could rise to 40 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, according to experts.