A violent prison riot at a detention facility in southern Ecuador, on November 9, 2025, left 31 inmates dead and dozens injured, marking the latest outbreak of deadly violence in a penal system plagued by gang warfare and overcrowding.
The violence erupted around 3 a.m. local time at the Machala prison in El Oro province, where authorities said 27 inmates died by asphyxiation or hanging. Four additional prisoners were killed in armed clashes, according to Ecuador’s SNAI prison authority. Interior Minister Reimberg reported that roughly 36 inmates were wounded in the initial attack, while one police officer was also injured during the confrontation.
The deadly riot unfolded in two separate clashes between rival gangs, Los Lobos and Sao-Box, both vying for control within the facility. Interior Minister John Reimberg explained that the violence was triggered by plans to transfer inmates to a new maximum-security facility in another province, which was scheduled to begin operations this month.
On 11 November, the government announced that 300 high-risk inmates—including former Vice President Jorge Glas—had already been transferred to the new El Encuentro maximum-security prison in Santa Elena province, which has a capacity for over 700 inmates and is intended to isolate the most dangerous gang members.
Residents living near the prison reported hearing gunfire and explosions throughout the morning as the violence escalated. Elite police teams entered the facility immediately after the riot began and eventually regained control, though authorities said forensic medical personnel continued working at the scene to verify information and attend to emergencies.
The incident represents another chapter in Ecuador’s ongoing prison crisis. Just two months earlier, 14 inmates were killed at the same Machala facility in what authorities described as gang-related violence. Days after that September incident, another 17 people died in a prison riot in Esmeraldas, a northern city near the Colombian border.
Ecuador’s prisons have become among the most dangerous in Latin America, with more than 500 inmates killed in riots since 2021. The facilities face chronic overcrowding, corruption, and weak government control, allowing gangs connected to drug trafficking operations in Colombia and Mexico to expand their influence behind bars.
President Daniel Noboa’s administration has pledged to take a tough stance on crime, attributing the violence to rival gangs battling for dominance and territorial control. The government’s response has included deploying military and police forces to several penitentiaries as part of an ongoing state of internal armed conflict declared in January 2024.
The two gangs involved in Sunday’s violence have been at the center of Ecuador’s prison crisis for months. Los Lobos is one of two Ecuadorian criminal organizations that the United States designated as foreign terrorist organizations in September, a move that allows American authorities to impose sanctions and share intelligence with Ecuador.
The scale of the violence shocked even a country accustomed to prison bloodshed. Authorities initially reported regaining control after four deaths, but later discovered the bodies of 27 additional inmates who had died by asphyxiation. The SNAI prison authority said forensic teams were working to determine the exact circumstances of how the prisoners died.
Interior Minister Reimberg provided details about the sequence of events during an interview on Monday with Radio Centro Ecuador. He explained that the breakaway gang Sao-Box initially targeted members of Los Lobos in the early morning attack. Later in the day, Los Lobos carried out what authorities described as a reprisal attack against Sao-Box members.
The minister noted that inmates from both groups shared cells at the facility, explaining they were initially part of the same organization before Sao-Box split from Los Lobos over management disputes. He did not specify why rival gang members remained housed together after the separation.
Last year, Ecuador’s prison system faced coordinated riots across multiple facilities that resulted in 150 prison guards being taken hostage. The incidents highlighted the extent to which criminal gangs have gained control within the country’s detention centers, where many heavily armed inmates continue organizing criminal activities from behind bars.
The violence at Machala prison underscores the challenges facing President Noboa’s administration as it attempts to restore order to a penal system that has spiraled into chaos. Despite increased security measures and the construction of new facilities, criminal organizations continue to wield significant power within prison walls, leading to regular outbreaks of deadly violence as rival factions compete for dominance.
Authorities said they were continuing to investigate the full circumstances of Sunday’s riot and working to prevent further violence at the facility and others across the country.