Rival criminal organizations have fought for control of territory, smuggling routes and influence over prisoners. As these groups became more powerful, some prison facilities effectively became battlegrounds between competing factions.
The consequences have been devastating.
Families have repeatedly waited for information about relatives caught inside violent prison incidents, while authorities have struggled to identify victims and restore order.
Why Ecuador Has Struggled to Stop the Violence
The country’s wider security crisis has made the problem even more difficult.
Advertisement
Ecuador has experienced a major increase in gang-related violence in recent years. Reuters reported in September 2026 that more than 300,000 people had been forced from their homes because of escalating criminal violence in parts of the country.
The crisis outside prison walls is therefore closely connected to what happens inside them.
Criminal groups have expanded their influence, while government efforts to dismantle them have sometimes resulted in rival factions competing even more aggressively for control.
