Ecuador prison violence: 17 killed in Esmeraldas clash as government deploys troops

At least 17 inmates were killed on Thursday in a riot at the Esmeraldas prison, the second deadly outbreak in the facility in several days, authorities said. Clashes between drug gangs included beheadings and widespread maiming, with the violence escalating in a system already notorious for its brutality. Prison officials and AFP verified the toll rose from 10 in the morning to 17 by midday, as families gathered outside the facility seeking information about relatives.

Images circulating on social media showed bodies in the prison yard and internal corridors, with witnesses describing brutal scenes as prisoners battled with weapons and explosives. Dozens of relatives waited outside the Esmeraldas complex, many distressed and seeking news that their loved ones had survived the chaos.

The Esmeraldas violence followed a deadly incident on Monday in southwest Ecuador, when 13 prisoners and a guard were killed in another outbreak that included hostage-taking and at least one escape. In both episodes, security forces attempted to restore order amid chaotic scenes that underscored the country’s struggle with gang control of its prisons.

Nestled between Colombia and Peru, Ecuador has become a focal point in the regional fight over cocaine trafficking. Government data indicate that more than 70 percent of the world’s cocaine passes through the ports of Ecuador, even as the country’s 17 million people contend with rising violence linked to organized crime and international cartels. Since February 2021, prison violence has become the principal battleground for these conflicts, with inmates killed in gruesome fashion, including beheadings, dismemberments, and burnings, as gangs vie for control inside facilities.

The 2021 Guayaquil massacre remains the largest single prison bloodbath in the country’s recent history, when more than 100 inmates were killed. In recent months, inmates have sometimes broadcast attacks live on social media, revealing the scale of violence and the authorities’ struggle to contain it. Last year, gang members seized guards during a mass jailbreak led by a detained narcotics boss, and external allies detonated bombs and held a television presenter at gunpoint in a high-profile episode of disruption.

President Daniel Noboa has described the situation as a threat beyond normal crime, declaring a state of internal armed conflict and ordering the military to temporarily assume control of the prisons. The move aims to restore security in facilities long criticized for overcrowding, insufficient staffing, and limited oversight, factors that have allowed organized crime groups to operate with near-impunity from inside the walls.

Authorities have said they are reviewing security protocols, staffing levels, and surveillance capabilities as they assess next steps. The recurrence of violence also highlights the fragility of Ecuador’s system of custody, which scholars and human-rights groups say has been strained by overcrowding, underfunding, and the influence of powerful gangs that command loyalty from some inmates and corrupt elements within the system. While officials have promised investigations into the latest incidents, there has been little public detail on individuals responsible or on the broader network of gang leadership behind the outbreaks.

Esmeraldas, a coastal city near the Colombian border, has long been a hotspot for organized crime, with authorities repeatedly stressing that the city’s prisons serve as critical nodes for trafficking networks. The latest clashes come amid ongoing regional efforts to curb drug shipments and disrupt the operations of the Los Choneros and other groups that have risen to prominence in Ecuador’s underworld. Earlier this year, authorities recaptured Jose Adolfo Macias, the imprisoned head of Los Choneros, in a high-profile operation that underscored the external reach of prison-based leadership and the continuing challenges of dismantling criminal networks linked to international cartels.

As families continue to seek information and the government recalibrates its approach to prison security, the violence in Esmeraldas adds to a grim tally of inmates killed since 2021 and raises questions about long-term solutions. In the immediate term, officials have promised transparency, increased protections for staff, and sustained military oversight to prevent further eruptions as the country grapples with one of the region’s most persistent security crises.