Additional Coverage:
- Ecuador prison director killed as she drove with coworker (newsbreak.com)
### Ecuadorian Prison Director Killed in Armed Attack, Marking Second Fatality in Two Weeks
Ecuador’s largest prison witnessed tragedy as its director, Maria Daniela Icaza, was killed in an armed attack on Thursday. This marks the second such fatal incident within two weeks, confirmed by the SNAI prison agency.
Icaza, who led the notorious Litoral penitentiary in Guayaquil, succumbed to her injuries after being ambushed while traveling on the road to Daule. She was en route to a hospital when she passed away. Reports indicate that a fellow prison service official accompanying her was also injured during the assault.
“We convey our deepest condolences,” the SNAI prison agency expressed on social media.
Ecuador’s prisons have a notorious reputation for danger, often falling under the control of drug gangs. Since January, the penitentiaries have been under military control following President Daniel Noboa’s declaration of a state of “internal armed conflict.” This move came after a surge of violence linked to the escape of a powerful crime lord.
In January, armed men attacked a television studio, leading to threats of random executions against civilians and security forces. A prosecutor working on the case was later assassinated.
Icaza’s death follows closely on the heels of the killing of Alex Guevara, head of a prison in Sucumbíos province, who was similarly ambushed in his car. This incident wounded two others traveling with him. Additionally, two weeks ago, two prison officers in Guayaquil were also killed on their way to work.
Ecuador has seen a dramatic increase in violence, with the homicide rate climbing to a record 47 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, compared to six per 100,000 in 2018. Once a symbol of peace in Latin America, the country is now grappling with violence linked to transnational drug cartels using its ports, particularly Guayaquil, to ship narcotics to the U.S. and Europe.
President Noboa’s government claims that measures against organized crime have helped reduce homicides. From January to September this year, Ecuador reported 4,236 murders, a decrease from 5,112 during the same period in 2023, according to the interior ministry.
Noboa is focusing on dismantling 22 criminal organizations, notably Los Choneros, Los Lobos, and Tiguerones. In June, the U.S. sanctioned Los Lobos and its leader, Wilmer Geovanny Chavarria Barre, aka “Pipo,” recognizing the gang as the largest drug trafficking ring in Ecuador and a significant contributor to the country’s violence.
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- Ecuador prison director killed as she drove with coworker (newsbreak.com)