Over 40 Staff Freed in Ecuador, but Tensions Persist as Gang Leader’s Escape Triggers Unrest”

At least 41 prison guards and administrative staff, previously held by inmates in Ecuador, have been released, as confirmed by the country’s prison agency on Saturday. The National Police reported the liberation of 11 individuals from a prison in Esmeraldas city through mediation by the Catholic Church, and another 13 from a prison in the Tungurahua province. However, the situation remains tense, with 133 guards and three administrative employees still in captivity, according to the prison agency SNAI.

An armed confrontation occurred at a prison in the southern region of El Oro, resulting in the death of one prison guard and injuries to another, as reported by SNAI. Ecuador, known for its Galapagos islands and a tourism-driven dollar economy, was historically recognized as an “island of peace” but is now grappling with a surge in violence, including explosions, police kidnappings, and prison disturbances.

In a separate incident this week, masked gunmen armed with explosives violently seized control of a live television broadcast. Television anchor Jorge Rendon described the takeover as an “extremely violent attack,” revealing that one person was shot and another injured by the assailants.

The current state of unrest has instilled fear among many Ecuadorians, with former President Rafael Correa stating in a video shared on social media that the country is “living a real nightmare.” While instability has been escalating in Ecuador for years, the recent incidents were triggered by the escape of a notorious gang leader, Adolfo “Fito” Macías, from a prison in Guayaquil.

Fito, leader of the feared gang Los Choneros, associated with maritime drug trafficking to Mexico and the United States, as well as collaborations with Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel and the Oliver Sinisterra Front in Colombia, escaped after being sentenced to 34 years in prison in 2011 for crimes including drug trafficking and murder. A state of emergency was declared following his escape.

The ongoing struggle of security forces to confront prison gangs within overcrowded facilities, where inmates often control portions of penitentiaries and run criminal networks, has added complexity to the situation. The search for Fito continues, with over 3,000 police officers and armed forces deployed for his apprehension. The exact time and date of his escape remain unknown.

The late presidential hopeful Fernando Villavicencio, assassinated at a political rally in Quito last August, had previously disclosed threats from Fito and warned against his political campaign targeting gang violence. Villavicencio had characterized the country as a “narco state” and promised a crackdown on gang crime and corruption that has plagued Ecuador in recent years.