What began as a night of unrest became one of the deadliest uprisings in Ecuador’s recent history. Before dawn, chaos erupted inside the Machala prison — a place already feared for its violent gang rivalries. By the time elite police regained control, 31 inmates were dead, most from asphyxiation and hanging. The horrific scene left even seasoned officers shaken.

Witnesses outside the walls described hours of gunfire, explosions, and screams echoing through the darkness. Authorities later confirmed the riot was linked to the transfer of prisoners into a new maximum-security facility — a move that reignited old rivalries between drug gangs. Ecuador’s overcrowded prisons have become command centers for these groups, fueling violence that has spilled far beyond prison walls. Once a relatively peaceful nation, Ecuador now finds itself gripped by terror, its prisons turned into war zones, and its people pleading for an end to the bloodshed.