A confrontation between prisoners in Machala left at least 14 dead and several injured. Authorities warn about the prison crisis and its political consequences.
The authorities confirmed the death of 14 inmates and a custodian.
X: @elsalvador
At least 14 prisoners died and another 14 were injured in a confrontation Between bands inside the prison of Machala, south of Ecuador. The National Police reported that two rival inmate bands starred in the confrontation, causing Death of a penitentiary custodian, The kidnapping and escape of several inmates, including the Explosives detonation.
The authorities indicated that the band’s inmates The Box wolves They managed to get out of their cells, assaulted several guards and attacked the pavilion of the rival band, also called The wolves. The El Oro police chief, William Callesaid that a dozen injured was transferred to local hospitals, and that Several prisoners tried to escape, Although it was already located Thirteen of them.
The Machala prison, with more than 1,400 inmatesit was the focus of repeated relocation requests due to the violence that affects Ecuadorian penalties. Since 2021, around 600 convicts were killed in clashes Between rival bands. Given the seriousness of the situation, the president Daniel Noboa declared a Internal armed conflict in 2024 and decreed states of exception that include the Militarization of prisonsmeasures that generated discontent.
The prison crisis and the political context
Violence in prisons arrives at a critical moment for Ecuador, where the electorate will go on November 16 to the polls, after the president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, summoned a popular consultation to ask the population if a constituent assembly must be convened to make changes in the National Constitution.
Among them, issues related to the installation of foreign military bases and the elimination of mandatory state financing To political parties. The National Electoral Council confirmed the consultation following indications of the president, although the Constitutional reviews the initiative and received several unconstitutionality demands.
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Experts warn that prison insecurity and riot escalation could influence the citizen perception about governance and national security, affecting like this The decision of the electorate in November. The context of prisons frames the relationship between the penitentiary and political agenda of the country, where the issues of Security and sovereignty They appear as central axes of the popular consultation.
Source: Ambito
