Ecuador regains control of prisons after gangs kidnap guards

Ecuadorian security officers monitor prisoners at Turi prison in Cuenca Photo: ECUADOR ARMED FORCES/AFP

Heavily armed soldiers have taken control from seven prisons in Ecuador, where gang members kidnapped more than 150 guards as part of a wave of coordinated violence that rocked the South American country last week.

Photos released by the military showed troops in full combat gear, including body armor and machine guns, direct hundreds of prisoners, stripped to their underwear and forced to lie on the floor with their hands behind their heads.

Sunday's operation came just hours after 158 guards and 20 administrative staff were released apparently unharmed and following negotiations between gang leaders and authorities.

More than 1,000 military personnel took part in the operation in seven prisons. Photo: ECUADOR ARMED FORCES/AFP

The operation, which involves more than 1,000 troops, is the latest attempt by President Daniel Noboa to wrest control of the country from drug gangs that have plunged Ecuador into bloody anarchy in recent years.

Last week, in response to a wave of violence , including bombings across the country and a television station stormed by masked gang members live on air, Mr. Noboa officially declared Ecuador at «war» on gangs, suspending constitutional rights and telling the military to «neutralize» gang members.

Soldiers seized firearms, knives, drugs and mobile phones in a raid on the Esmeraldas prison on the Pacific coast. Norman Cano, a police colonel, said the operation was carried out «very calmly» while respecting the human rights of prisoners.

Soldiers also patrolled cities across the country, enforcing the 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew and looking for suspected gang members. Ecuador does not produce cocaine but has become a key transit hub for drugs from neighboring Colombia and Peru.

Soldiers use angle grinders to cut through bars on the way to Turi Prison. Photo: AFP «The strong man approach» Some commentators have suggested Mr Noboa, 36, is trying to emulate El Salvador's authoritarian President Nayib Bukele, 42, whose approval rating has risen above 80 percent after a similar crackdown on gangs in the Central American country .

One key difference, however, is that so far no one has accused Mr Noboa of wanting to become a dictator, unlike Mr Bukele, who sent soldiers to intimidate lawmakers and changed the constitution to allow his re-election. -elections.

More than 1,400 people have been arrested so far in Ecuador, including six members of the Lobos, or «Wolves» gang, which last week attacked the main court in Guayaquil, the port city that was the epicenter violence with explosives.

Calm appears to be returning to Ecuador, although there are concerns about the military's treatment of homeless people who were unable to stay on the streets during the curfew.< /p>

However, temporary restoring order during a formal state of emergency may be an easy task. Experts warn that reducing or eradicating the influence of drug cartels in Ecuadorian government institutions, including the judiciary and national assembly, as well as in local areas, is likely to become more challenging.