Ecuador: 50 Prison Guards, 7 Police Officers Released After Being Held Hostage for Over a Day

Ecuador authorities have made a significant announcement regarding the release of 50 guards and seven police officers who were held hostage for over a day, AP reports.

This incident is believed to be in response to the government's efforts to regain control of several major correctional facilities in the country, which have been plagued by criminal activities.

The National Service for Attention to Persons Deprived of Liberty, responsible for the corrections system in Ecuador, reported that the 57 law enforcement officers scattered across six different Ecuador prisons have been safely released.

However, the details of their release have not been disclosed.

Government officials have attributed these violent acts to criminal gangs operating inside and outside prisons.

They appear to respond to the authorities' attempts to regain control of the penitentiaries.

These efforts include relocating Ecuador inmates, seizing weapons, and implementing various measures to restore order within the correctional facilities.

Ecuador Sees Series of Explosions in Less Than 2 Days

Ecuador has been rocked by a series of explosions, including four car bombs and three explosive devices, occurring within less than 48 hours, per The Guardian.

Before this, another explosion occurred when a domestic gas tank with dynamite attached detonated beneath a bridge in Napo province, situated within Ecuador's portion of the Amazon rainforest.

Amid these disturbing events, Consuelo Orellana, the governor of Azuay province, reported that 44 of the hostages, who had been held at a prison in Cuenca, were released.

Subsequently, the national corrections system confirmed that all 57 hostages held nationwide had been freed.

Security analyst Daniel Pontón has described this series of explosions, which unfolded three weeks after the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, as a "systematic and clearly planned" attack.

He criticizes the state's inability to prevent such violence, suggesting that orders for these explosions may have originated from within the Ecuador prisons through cell phones.

Pontón believes these acts of violence are intended to instill fear among the population and influence the upcoming presidential election in Ecuador, scheduled for a runoff vote on October 15.

The attacks began with a car bomb explosion in Quito, the capital, near the former location of an office of the national corrections system.

Two additional car bombs followed in El Oro province in the country's southwestern part.

The turmoil continued with another vehicle explosion outside the current offices of the corrections system in Quito and an explosive device detonation in Cuenca, located in the southern Andes mountains.

Authorities have taken swift action, with a judge ordering the detention of six suspects linked to the capital's blasts pending an ongoing investigation.

Police commander Fausto Martínez announced the arrest of four individuals associated with the explosions in Napo.

Three adults and a minor were apprehended while traveling in a taxi containing blocks of dynamite already synchronized with an explosive device and a slow fuse.

This discovery prompted controlled detonations for safety purposes.

Growing Violence in Ecuador

Ecuador is grappling with a concerning surge in violence linked to drug-trafficking gangs, a crisis that has placed immense pressure on the already under-resourced and overcrowded prison system, BBC noted.

In recent years, the country has witnessed hundreds of Ecuador inmates losing their lives in deadly confrontations within its overcrowded prisons.

The influence of narco-politics in Ecuador has made its prisons centers of power, where individuals involved in drug-related offenses are incarcerated.

However, these Ecuador prisons have also become control hubs for various cartels and gangs.

When inmates are dissatisfied with the authorities' actions, they often use violence and riots to make their grievances known.

The situation has created a volatile environment in Ecuador, now less than two months away from the presidential runoff elections.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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