Ecuador's prison authority SNAI announced on January 13 that more than 40 prison staff held hostage by inmates had been released, as the country struggles to cope with brutal gang violence.
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| A wave of violence is taking place across Ecuador. Illustration photo on January 13, 2024. (Source: Reuters) |
They are among 178 guards and administrative staff taken hostage since the beginning of the week in at least seven prisons as the security crisis escalates in the South American country.
SNAI said there were incidents in several prisons, including an armed confrontation with inmates at a prison in El Oro province that resulted in the death of a guard. The agency said a wounded guard remained at the prison.
A group of 24 guards and 17 administrative staff “have been released,” SNAI said, without providing further details. A total of 133 guards and three administrative staff remain hostage.
Ecuador is facing a highly unstable security situation amid rampant criminal gangs and rising violence in prisons.
There has been fresh violence in Ecuadorian prisons in the past 24 hours, with one guard killed and another injured. There have also been “armed clashes” at Machala prison in the southwest of the country.
Meanwhile, at least five inmates escaped from a large prison in Guayaquil on the evening of January 12, police sources said, two of whom were arrested shortly afterwards in a search operation. The army and police have raided detention centers in six cities in an effort to restore order.
On January 8, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a 60-day nationwide state of emergency, deploying armed forces on the streets and in prisons, and imposing a curfew from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. local time. The decision was made after riots broke out in six prisons across Ecuador.
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