According to a previous SNAI report, as of January 13, 136 guards and prison employees remained hostage in the penitentiary system, while active operations by security forces were ongoing.
"On the night of January 13, 2024, the execution of security protocols and joint work with the national police and armed forces was successfully completed with the release of all members of the Prisons Security and Supervision Corps and members of the administrative staff who were detained in various detention centers in the country," SNAI said in the Saturday's statement.
Violent unrest erupted in Ecuador in the beginning of the week, after the prison break out by the leader of the Los Choneros gang, Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, also known as Fito, who is considered the most dangerous criminal in the country. Fabricio Colon Pico, the leader of Ecuador's second-largest criminal gang, Los Lobos, has also escaped from prison.
On Monday, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a 60-day state of emergency in Ecuador as multiple hostage-taking incidents took place in various cities and prisons. After that, riots broke out in a number of cities — on the night of January 9, criminals started burning cars and buses, using improvised explosive devices. Several police officers were kidnapped. On Tuesday, Noboa declared a state of internal armed conflict and ordered Ecuador's army to neutralize the criminal groups operating in the country.