On January 13, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced that prison staff who were being held hostage had been released. The news was broken by prison agency SNAI and covered by media outlets such as WION and The Guardian.
According to ABC News, as of January 11, at least 125 guards and 14 administrative staff had been captured by inmates in at least five prisons across the country. They have been detained since last Monday, January 8. There was a noticeable increase in violence at the time of the incident.
The prison agency, Senai, said the individuals were undergoing medical examinations and that it would investigate those behind their kidnapping, but did not reveal how many people had been released. He had reported earlier on Saturday that although at least 41 people had been released, guards and three administrative staff remained hostage.
Ecuadorian prison staff have been taken hostage as part of protests and unrest
According to CNN, the National Prisons Agency announced on Saturday that all prison officers and administrative staff who were being held by prisoners in correctional facilities around Ecuador have been released.
According to prison agency SNAI, more than 150 individuals were taken hostage in several prisons on Monday, January 8, as civil unrest broke out across the country in Ecuador. ABC7 News reported that according to the Interior Ministry, prisoners at detention centers in Azuay, Tungurahua, Cañar, Cotopaxi and Napo were holding guards and staff.
A nationwide state of emergency was declared that same Monday by President Daniel Noboa, sparking widespread unrest and violence that led to a hostage scenario. The hostage situation in Ecuadorian prisons occurred amid a wave of violence that rocked the country and saw police kidnappings and bombings.
Furthermore, according to the BBC, the prisoners allegedly threatened to kill the hostages on the same day if military personnel were sent to take control of the prisons. In addition, four police officers were arrested.
Furthermore, as WRAL reported, the agency also received reports of an armed altercation between prisoners and members of the National Police and Armed Forces at a prison in the southern part of El Oro. Furthermore, El Oro has imprisoned a prison guard, according to the National Alliance of Criminal Accounts.
According to France 24, the declaration of a state of emergency came after rumors that José Adolfo Macias Villamar, known as “Vito,” had escaped from prison. Villamar is the alleged head of the Los Choneros cartel, which is said to have ties to the Sinaloa Cartel.
He was imprisoned in Guayaquil maximum security prison after being convicted in 2011 on drug trafficking and murder charges. According to officials, nearly 3,000 police officers were sent to arrest him, France 24 reported.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa joyfully received the news of the hostages' liberation and praised the Ecuadorian National Alliance, the Armed Forces and the National Police for their successful rescue.
According to WION, SNAI said in an official statement that an investigation will be conducted to identify the individuals responsible for the hostage situation.
According to the administration, since the state of emergency was declared on Monday, more than 1,000 people have been detained. Armed forces and law enforcement agencies continued their operations across the country.
In addition, security forces in Ecuador are currently trying to restore order in at least six prisons where unrest broke out.
Vito was being held in a high-security ward, and an examination of that area turned up no evidence of him.
