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At least 44 people have died in violent clashes between hostile gangs in a prison in Ecuador. Most of the victims at the Santo Domingo detention center were stabbed, beheaded or mutilated. Around 220 inmates escaped from the detention center during the riots.
Prison revolts and fights between hostile gangs are frequent in Ecuador. Almost 400 prisoners have lost their lives since the beginning of last year. Many prisons are controlled by gangs. Numerous imprisoned bosses run their criminal organizations from prison.
No concept against strengthened drug gangs
What has been happening in prisons in Ecuador for over a year is a reflection of the dangerous situation across the country. Drug gangs in Ecuador are stronger than ever and this is reflected in the prisons. The rivalry of the gangs in the prisons is great because the gangs have grown stronger all over Ecuador and at the same time the government has no answer, no concept. It is an unparalleled failure of the state.
Governments in recent years have failed to overhaul the prison system, the infrastructure is abysmal and many security officers are corrupt. But that’s not all: The government has no answer to the enormous challenge of fighting drug gang crime. There is no plan, there are no far-reaching measures. This state failure means that the authorities in the prisons, but also outside the prison walls in the provinces affected by violence, have no power.
Gangs compete in cocaine smuggling
Ecuador borders Colombia and Colombia produces the most cocaine in the world and currently more tons than ever. As a result, Ecuador is becoming increasingly important as a transit hub for bringing drugs across the country from the Colombian border to the Pacific coast. Ecuador lends itself to transportation, partly because the country has a well-developed highway network, the best in South America. More and more rival gangs are fighting over these smuggling routes.
The government’s only answer to the violence of the drug mafia: the military should fix it.
The problem is not tackled at the root
A total of 3,600 police and military personnel are now patrolling all prisons in Ecuador to ensure peace. The government has declared a state of emergency in three regions on the Pacific coast. The population is not allowed on the streets at night. Soldiers are supposed to provide security and fight the drug gangs responsible for the violence.
But these are short-term solutions to reassure the population. Nothing will be changed in the system, although the President of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, actually has a program to improve the prison infrastructure, for example. But the budget was recently cut by 70 percent.