ECUADOR – Head of Ecuador’s prison system and the head of the country’s armed forces has been resign follow a gang fight that killed 68 inmates at a prison in the city of Guayaquil.
The deadly fight took place at the same prison where 119 inmates died in September, also in a gang war. It took 900 police officers to restore the situation and conditions during the riots.
A spike in prison violence has loomed over the first six months of President Guillermo Lasso’s office.
In an interview with the BBC earlier this month, President Lasso said prison guards needed to be armed to deal with members of highly organized gangs.
Also read: Prison Riot Kills 68 Prisoners, Families: This is a Prison Not a Slaughterhouse
“There’s no way prison guards who only carry batons can deal with mafia who have drones and explosives,” he said.
The latest incident occurred during the 60-day state of emergency the president declared within the prison system.
Also read: 8 Hours Gunfight in Prison Kills 68 Prisoners, 900 Police Deploy
The state of emergency means that additional funds can be allocated to combat violence in prisons and also allow the military to assist guards and police in securing prisons.
Despite the extra measures, another deadly fight took place at the Litoral Penitentiary on Friday (12/11) night.
Analysts blame the spike in prison killings on the infiltration of Ecuadorian gangs by powerful transnational crime cartels.
They say that acts of extreme violence – such as beheadings and use of explosives – seen at Litoral Penitentiary were inspired by tactics used by Mexican criminal organizations such as the Sinaloa cartel and the Jalisco New Generation.
The local governor said the latest brawl was sparked by the release of a gang leader who prompted members of a rival gang to try to take control of one of the prison’s wings.
“Because this part of the prison had no leader after he was released by the judge, other gangs tried to surround the wing to carry out a total massacre,” said Governor Pablo Arose Mena.
According to police, the inmates were armed with firearms and explosives.
Footage shared on social media shows inmates kicking and burning multiple human bodies.
Several relatives of those killed said that while the fights may have been sparked by gang rivalry, many of the victims were serving sentences for minor crimes rather than violent crimes.
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