Prisons in Ecuador are once again the scene of death and terror: this weekend at least 31 inmates died and another 34 were injured in two riots that took place in a prison.

Among the dead, 27 were hanged.

According to the National Service for Comprehensive Care for Adults Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent Offenders (SNAI), the riots occurred in the Machala prison, in the south of the country.

This incident follows what happened on November 1st, in which 12 inmates were found dead in three other prisons in Ecuador.

And these are not isolated incidents: since 2021, nearly 500 deaths have been recorded inside Ecuadorian prisons, linked to the public order situation in the country.

The most serious situation occurred in September 2021, when 119 people died in a clash between criminal gangs at the Guayaquil Number 1 Detention Center.

From there began a systematic violence that has been one of the symptoms of the increase in crime rates in the country.

According to several Analysts say that much of the drug trafficking business in the country is controlled from within prisons. “In Ecuador, the criminal gangs that currently operate in the country originated in prisons,” Jorge Nunez, a university professor and security expert, told BBC Mundo back in 2023. Other analysts point out that the construction of the maximum-security prison in the coastal province of Santa Elena has generated a resurgence of prison violence. Many gang leaders within the prisons have rejected a possible transfer to this prison, which is expected to open in the coming days and will house up to 800 inmates considered highly dangerous. Due to the high levels of insecurity, Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency last October in ten provinces of the country, including El Oro, where the Machala prison is located.

All of this is happening days before a referendum proposed by Noboa for November 16th is to be held in Ecuador, which proposes—among other points—the installation of US military bases in the country with the idea of ??fighting drug trafficking.

Riot and suffocation

On Saturday night, videos began circulating on social media showing explosions and cries for help inside the Machala prison.

Around 3:00 am on Sunday, local time, members of the elite police team entered the prison to control what was a riot in one of the sectors.

The initial death toll was reported there: four fatalities and several injured people who had been transferred to local medical centers.

According to the SNAI (National Service for Comprehensive Care for Adults Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent Offenders), the riot was due to a “reorganization” by the inmates in anticipation of the eventual transfer to the new Santa Elena prison.

It was also reported that seven people had been captured in the police response.

However, hours later, the SNAI issued a statement reporting the discovery of 27 bodies showing signs of death by hanging.

“In relation to the events that occurred on Sunday afternoon at the Machala Detention Center, the death of 27 inmates is reported, who among themselves committed asphyxiation, which resulted in immediate death by hanging,” the statement reads.

The SNAI also reported that forensic personnel are investigating the causes of these deaths.

After the reports were released, both the Ecuadorian National Police and the army reiterated their determination to guarantee security inside and outside the prison.

And the central government affirmed that, despite the reluctance of several leaders of criminal gangs among inmates, The transfers to the new maximum-security prison in Santa Elena will continue.

Second time in a year

The events in Machala are not unprecedented. This prison, located in the south of the country, has a capacity for 800 inmates, but according to local reports, it currently houses approximately 1,400.

On September 22, in the midst of a clash between gangs, 14 people died there—including a prison guard—and 14 were injured.

According to the testimony of one of the police officers who participated in the operation to retake the prison, a clash occurred between gangs from two different cellblocks.

The prison officer died in the exchange of gunfire. In addition, several guards were detained, who had their weapons taken away and were left bound hand and foot.

When the police arrived at the scene to regain control, they found the bodies of 14 prisoners, many of them members of the criminal gangs Los Lobos and Los Choneros.

Although the authorities regained control, other attacks later occurred in different prisons across the country.

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