Overview

• Authorities reported that the violence in the Esmeraldas facility left at least 17 dead in fighting between rival groups.
• Officials said the attackers targeted members of Los Lobos, Los Choneros, and prisoners not aligned with Tiguerones.
• A preliminary account indicated inmates seized cell keys after an ambush, allowing assaults across other pavilions.
• Security forces launched an operation at the prison and opened an investigation, with the death toll subject to revision as recoveries continue.
• The incident occurred three days after a riot in Machala that killed 14 inmates, extending a prison crisis that has claimed roughly 600 lives since 2021 despite militarization efforts.