Ecuador managed to control and suppress this Saturday a series of prison riots that began simultaneously with the wave of criminal violence that occurred this week and freed more than 150 hostages held captives, with the exception of a prison guard who presumably died in the shootout.

This was announced after 22:00 local time in a message on social networks by Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, who confirmed the information. release of all hostages who, since the beginning of the week, have been held in prisons in the cities of Esmeraldas, Latacunga, Ambato, Cuenca, Azog, Loja and Machala.

The riots have become the center of this crisis of violence. began on Tuesday with a series of attacks and intimidation, including an attack on a TV channel by an armed group, prompting the government to declare “war” on the gangs, which it now classifies as terrorist groups.

In prisons they became at least 178 hostages, including prison guards and administrative staff who began to be released little by little in the first days after the crisis began, until this Saturday the rest were released – just over 150, according to the latest official data.

For both the prison officers and their families it was five days of melancholy and despair which left at least four people dead, including a guard and three prisoners.

The deceased guard was registered at Machala prison. where the shooting took place on Friday evening, despite the fact that the National Integrated Care Service (SNAI), the state penitentiary agency, had assured hours earlier that the unrest had been brought under control.

In Esmeraldas the release of eleven prison guards was peaceful and this was the result of negotiations in which the Church mediated and the armed forces entered Ambato to reduce the number of prisoners and remove the thirteen prison guards held there.

A few minutes later, Cuenca Mayor Christian Zamora announced release of all personnel held in the city prison, also known as Turi prison, where early in the morning prisoners climbed to the roofs of pavilions, from within which gunshots and explosions were heard.

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Also happened on Friday night escape of prisoners of the Litoral prison, Ecuador’s largest and most populous prison, located in the city of Guayaquil, from where six prisoners escaped, two of whom were recaptured nearby.

As a result prison guard was arrested on suspicion of facilitating the escape of these prisoners.

Meanwhile, according to local media reports, police and military forces searched a house belonging to Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, better known as “Fito”, leader of the Los Choneros criminal gang who escaped from the Guayaquil regional prison a week ago.

Until now It is not known what exactly was found on the property. located in the coastal town of Manta, where “Fito” is from.

Having learned about Fito’s escape, the day of terror that Ecuadorians experienced on Tuesday with police kidnappings and killings, bomb alerts, vehicle arson, prison riots and an attack by a group of armed men on a television station in Guayaquil, where they kept their workers kidnapped for hours.

This wave of violence occurred when the intention of the government of President Daniel Noboa became known. implement its plan to regain control of prisons, many are dominated by these criminal gangs, which have carried out a series of prison massacres since 2020, killing more than 450 prisoners.

To achieve this, Noboa seeks to isolate its leaders until two modern prisons are built. inspired by the “Bukele model”.

Meanwhile, the police managed to escape this Saturday two agents who remained kidnapped since the beginning of the week.

During the first four days after the declaration of “internal armed conflict”“1,105 alleged criminals have been arrested. 94 of them were charged with terrorism, while five alleged “terrorists” were killed and two police officers were killed.

Maria Dolores “Lolo” Minoexecutive director of the Observatory of Rights and Justice of Ecuador, explained in Aristegui Live what is happening in this country now, as a result of events that have occurred over the past two years, where prison riots took place due to conflicts between criminal gangs that had already spread to the cities.

(according to information from EFE And Aristegui News)