Deadly Riots in Ecuador Prison Leaves More Than 30 Inmates Dead, 27 by Asphyxiation

Violence inside Ecuador's prisons continues to spiral out of control. In recent days, two clashes between rival gangs left at least 31 inmates dead, including 27 who authorities said were killed by asphyxiation, and 30 others injured.

The violence broke out at the Machala Detention Center, a prison in southwest Ecuador. Interior Minister John Reimberg said the criminal group Los Lobos was targeted by a breakaway faction known as Sao-Box. During the first clash on Nov. 9, at least four inmates were killed and 36 others were injured.

Later that day, Reimberg said, Los Lobos launched a revenge attack, killing 27 members of Sao-Box by asphyxiating them inside several cells the two groups shared. According to the Ecuadorian prison agency SNAI, the victims died of what it described as "immediate death by hanging."

"In retaliation, Lobos asphyxiated members of the other organization to avoid leaving signs of violence on their bodies," Reimberg said.

SNAI reported that the first confrontation was triggered by the transfer of inmates to a new maximum-security prison. After the initial clash was contained, guards did not find the victims of the second attack until about 6 p.m., when they conducted routine inspections.

Reimberg said inmates across the country have been staging violent uprisings to prevent their transfer to the new facility.

Riots in Ecuador's prisons are not new. According to The Associated Press, the country's overcrowded and corruption-plagued prisons have become some of the most violent in Latin America, allowing gangs to continue operating from behind bars. Many inmates have also been reported to be heavily armed with weapons smuggled in from the outside, which has worsened the cycle of violence.

More than 500 people have been killed in prison riots across Ecuador since 2021, The Associated Press reported. Authorities have blamed the bloodshed on disputes between gangs fighting for control of the prisons, drug routes, and territories used for drug distribution inside the country.

One of the most serious incidents occurred last year, when 150 prison guards were taken hostage during simultaneous riots in several facilities.

The unrest has continued to escalate this year. In September, 17 inmates were killed in a prison in the coastal city of Esmeraldas, and days later, another 14 were found dead in Machala.

Once considered one of the safest countries in Latin America, Ecuador has been transformed by drug trafficking and organized crime. The 2025 Country Conditions Report from the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants found that Ecuador's homicide rate has soared from 6.7 per 100,000 people in 2020 to 44.5 in 2025, the highest in South America.

The violence is largely tied to two rival organizations competing for dominance. On one side are Los Choneros, described by InSight Crime as one of Ecuador's most powerful criminal groups and a major force behind the country's destabilization.

Their main rivals, Los Lobos, a splinter group of Los Choneros, have become one of Ecuador's largest and most organized criminal networks, with thousands of members operating nationwide and inside the prisons.