Seventeen corrections officials held hostage by prison inmates in Ecuador have been freed, while the death toll from days of fighting between rival gangs remains unclear. The unrest began with a brutal outbreak of violence at Guayas 1 prison in Guayaquil, where authorities found 11 corpses and 29 dismembered body parts. The country's prisons have been plagued by riots and gang violence, with at least 420 deaths reported since 2021. Corruption, overpopulation, and ease of access to weapons and contraband contribute to the ongoing issues. Ecuador has emerged as a key player in the South American cocaine trade, with 455 tons of drugs seized since May 2021.

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