At least 31 inmates have been killed in a violent prison riot in Machala, Ecuador

The deadly unrest broke out early Sunday at the Machala prison in El Oro province, a port city in southern Ecuador. The country’s prison agency SNAI reported that 27 prisoners were found hanged or suffocated, while four others died earlier in the day during a separate clash. Specialized police units eventually regained control of the facility, but the violence erupted during the process of transferring inmates to a new high-security unit, sparking deadly confrontations.

This incident is part of a pattern of recurring prison violence in Ecuador, where overcrowding, gang rivalries, and weak state control have turned penitentiaries into battlegrounds. In September 2025, the same Machala prison witnessed a bloody clash between rival gangs that left 14 inmates dead and 14 injured. Just days later, another riot in Esmeraldas prison in northern Ecuador killed 17 inmates, underscoring the scale of the crisis.

Authorities say the root cause of these riots lies in power struggles between rival criminal organizations, who use prisons as bases of influence and recruitment. The government has repeatedly acknowledged that gangs are fighting for territorial control and dominance, both inside and outside prison walls.

President Daniel Noboa has vowed to take a hardline stance against organized crime, promising tougher measures to restore order in the prison system. However, critics argue that without addressing structural issues such as overcrowding, corruption, and lack of rehabilitation programs, violence will continue to spiral.

The Machala riot highlights the humanitarian toll of Ecuador’s prison crisis, with hundreds of inmates killed in recent years. Families of prisoners often face uncertainty and trauma, while communities near prisons live in fear of spillover violence. International observers have called for urgent reforms, warning that Ecuador’s prisons are among the deadliest in Latin America.

For now, forensic teams are working to identify the victims and assess the full extent of the damage. The government insists that restoring security in prisons is a national priority, but the cycle of gang warfare and deadly riots remains a formidable challenge.