The violence took place after the transfers of 'Bermudez' from Los Lobos gang and 'Anchundia' from the R7 gang.


Quito: At least 10 people were killed in violence at a prison in Ecuador's capital Quito on Friday, the prisons agency said, after authorities moved two gang leaders to a maximum security facility.
Authorities have been moving prisoners considered to be gang leaders to new facilities in a bid to help reduce violence in the country's chaotic jails. Ecuador's prison system has faced structural problems for decades, but jail violence has soared since late 2020, killing at least 400 people and terrorizing inmates' families.
At least five police officers were killed earlier this month in attacks in reaction to the transfer of about 1,000 prisoners, while at least two inmates died in related violence.
The attorney general's office said on Twitter on Friday that it had opened an investigation into the deaths of nine people at the El Inca prison in the capital. The SNAI prison authority confirmed at least 10 prisoners had died.
The violence took place after the transfers of 'Bermudez' from Los Lobos gang and 'Anchundia' from the R7 gang, who authorities say are gang leaders responsible for recent violence in prisons in Quito and Santo Domingo respectively.
President Guillermo Lasso has repeatedly accused gangs of using violence to retaliate against his government's efforts to combat them. Ecuador is used as a transit point for drugs bound for Europe and the United States.
"The government acts with all the rigor of the law to sanction the leaders of narco-terrorist mafias that provoke attacks, that's why those who cause problems will be transferred to the maximum security prison," Lasso's office said in an earlier statement.
Three more leaders from Los Lobos, who have been identified as the masterminds of the violence in the Quito prison, will also be moved to the maximum security facility, the government said in a later statement.
SNAI reopened the maximum security La Roca prison in Guayaquil for gang leaders this year.
SOURCE: REUTERS

Hania Aamir appointed as UN Women Pakistan’s National Goodwill
- 8 hours ago

3 bodies recovered from different areas of Lahore
- 12 hours ago

Sharmeen Obaid becomes executive producer of film based on Pakistani girl's bravery
- 12 hours ago

Expelliarmus! How to enjoy Harry Potter while disarming J.K. Rowling.
- 8 hours ago

Propaganda nexus between Afghan Taliban, India exposed
- 11 hours ago

Pakistan's exports in free fall: Textile exports plummet 2pc
- 10 hours ago

Forces conduct operations in KP, killing 34 Indian-sponsored Khawarij
- 9 hours ago

Pakistan strengthens ties with global financial institutions
- 10 hours ago

Indonesia shaken by 6.7 magnitude earthquake
- 10 hours ago

Gold expensive by Rs1,900 per tola today
- 11 hours ago

Apple launches new MacBook Pro, fastest performance with M5 chip
- 13 hours ago

Dubai introduces AI-enabled 'virtual ICU' system
- 13 hours ago