They control the unrest in the Ecuadorian prison from which the drug trafficker Fito escaped

A new prison riot has broken out in Ecuador. Regional Prison of Guayaquil, for the first time since President Daniel Noboa managed to bring the prison crisis that emerged earlier this year under control with a declaration “internal armed conflict” and the subsequent militarization of prisons.

In videos broadcast on social networks, A. fire from inside one of the pavilions, apparently due to the burning of mattresses, and some prisoners are protesting against the treatment of the military in prisons.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said the government had regained control of the prison. In a message published on social networks, President He did not specify whether there were any casualties. during operations carried out by government forces to regain control of the regional center of Guayaquil, officially called the Social Rehabilitation Center No. 4 of Guayas.

“I appreciate the courage of the security unit, which professional, urgent and large-scale operation deployed by law enforcement, they neutralized the insurrection before it could escalate,” Noboa said in the release.

The ruler stated that “This is an unprecedented event in the country.” where the criminal gangs that controlled these institutions just weeks ago have carried out a series of prison killings that have killed more than 500 prisoners since 2020.

“We cannot go back to old Ecuador. Our commitment is to create the democratic mechanisms necessary to restore peace and ensure that this fight continues,” concluded Noboa.

This new riot is happening less than two weeks before the end of the state of emergency due to the “internal armed conflict” declared by Noboa against organized crime groups, which he came to view as terrorist groups and non-state combatants.

The state of emergency led to placement of military personnel in prisons in order to take control of prisons from criminal gangs.

Events of this Wednesday in the regional prison of Guayaquil They started late in the evening in some riots, when explosions were heard from inside the prison, as well as fires caused by prisoners burning mattresses.

Apparently, the prisoners They were protesting the treatment of the military. during the presence of the Armed Forces inside the prison.

During the militarization of prisons, several organizations condemned violations of human rights by the Armed Forces, a charge which the military establishment denied, saying its actions were in line with the rule of law and human rights.

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The regional prison of Guayaquil was one of the most actively intervening by the police and military forces during a state of emergency, with periodic operations to confiscate weapons and prohibited items from prisoners.

He escaped from this prison in late December – early January. drug dealer Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar (“Fito”), leader of the Los Choneros criminal gang, who was serving a 34-year prison sentence for drug trafficking, illegal association and murder.

Before the state of emergency, Los Choneros, Ecuador’s largest and oldest criminal gang, He controlled the inside of the prison, where, according to witnesses, they charged prisoners for the type of cell they used, as well as for food, among other elements of a wide extortion ring.

This prison is part of prison complex in the coastal province of Guayas, whose capital is Guayaquil, where there are five prisons housing about 12,000 people.

La Region, officially called the Guayas Social Rehabilitation Center No. 4, is the second largest prison in Ecuador. there are about 4,500 prisoners inside, It is surpassed only by the neighboring Litoral prison, which houses about 5,500 prisoners.

(EFE)