Ecuador declares state of emergency for prisons over outbreak of violence Terrorist attacks in Brussels: several suspects found guilty

Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso has declared a state of emergency for all prisons in the country due to a renewed outbreak of violence in some prisons.

The state of emergency is valid for 60 days, according to a tweet from the president on Tuesday. Therefore, the decree orders to mobilize the armed forces and the police in coordination with the prison supervisor SNAI.

Six people were killed and 11 injured in prison clashes in the South American country this weekend, according to the supervisory authority. According to a report by the Ecuadorian newspaper El Universo, more than 90 prison workers have been taken hostage in five prisons.

Prisons in Ecuador, like elsewhere in Latin America, are overcrowded. Many prisons are controlled by gangs. Numerous imprisoned bosses control the affairs of their criminal organizations while they are in prison. Violence in Ecuador has also increased significantly in recent times in the form of armed attacks.

The cabinet mainly blames drug dealers for the wave of violence. Cocaine is produced in Colombia, Bolivia and Peru and then smuggled mainly to the US and Europe. For example, on the transit routes through Ecuador, drug smuggling causes brutal violence and widespread corruption. (sda/dpa)