Prison clash in Ecuador leaves at least 17 dead
By Ana María Cañizares, Isa Cardona, CNN
(CNN) — A violent clash between rival gangs at a prison in the coastal city of Esmeraldas, Ecuador, has left at least 17 dead, according to a statement from the National Police.
“The situation stems from an external order from Los Tiguerones organized crime group to eliminate members of Los Lobos, Los Choneros and prisoners not affiliated with Los Tiguerones,” police said.
Police confirmed that a security operation was deployed in the central area of Esmeraldas prison and warned that the death toll could rise as the recovery of bodies continues.
A preliminary report indicated that the clashes began in one of the prison’s cell blocks after an ambush in which inmates stole cell keys, enabling them to target prisoners in outer cells.
“The appropriate authorities are conducting the corresponding investigations to clarify what happened. We will provide more details soon,” Ecuador’s national prisons agency SNAI said in a statement.
CNN contacted the Ecuadorian presidency for further details.
The prison massacre occurred three days after a fatal incident at the Machala prison in the province of El Oro, where 14 inmates were killed, according to police.
Col. William Fabián Calle reported that after police entered the Machala prison, they found the 14 dead inmates along with 14 inmates who were wounded and a prison guard who had been shot and killed inside one of the cells.
“You know there’s gang conflict in this prison. Two cell blocks are controlled by an organized crime group, and that’s where these murders are occurring. The question is how they were transferred to the other wing, since there are several filters,” Calle said.
Since 2021, more than 500 inmates have been killed in Ecuador. The prison violence comes amid a state of internal armed conflict that has been in effect across the country since January 2024, despite the military and police deployment in some prisons.
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