Rebellion in Ecuador leaves at least 58 dead in prison

A new rebellion left 58 detainees dead in the penitentiary of Guayaquil, southwestern Ecuador, announced this Saturday (13) the commander of the local police, General Tannya Varela.

The same facility was the scene, in September, of one of the worst prison massacres in the country, with 119 deaths.

According to the government, Saturday’s episode was the result of disputes over control of the prison between rival drug trafficking groups. The disturbance came after the release of a gang leader, which sparked clashes between other groups to take his place, Guayas provincial governor Pablo Arosemena told a news conference.

Videos on social media allegedly posted by detainees overnight show people calling for help to contain the violence with gunfire and explosions heard in the background.

Prison riots in Ecuador have resulted in more than 250 prisoner deaths since the beginning of the year. In February, 79 inmates died in simultaneous riots in four prisons. Months later, in July, other rebellions left another 22 dead.

On September 28, 119 people died in the Penitentiary on the Coast of Guayaquil, the worst massacre in Ecuadorian prison history and one of the most serious in Latin America. The rebellion overcame the Carandiru massacre in 1992, when 111 prisoners were murdered in São Paulo.

These international groups have associated themselves with local factions in search of privileged routes to export drugs to other countries. Neighbor of the largest cocaine producer in the world, Colombia, Ecuador has become a strategic port for the shipment of the drug.

Criminal organizations fight for the control of prisons because they get paid amounts from inmates, for example, for security.

The September massacre prompted the Ecuadorian government to declare a state of emergency and use the Armed Forces to secure citizens.