The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboadecreed this Monday a Exception statusthe first since he began his mandate on November 23, after a series of riots in at least six prisons in the countrywhich involved the retention of prison guards and the burning of mattresses.

The state of emergency allows the Armed Forces to act in support of the Police, to control internal security, especially in prisons, as they have done on previous occasions.

“I have just signed the state of emergency decree so that the Armed Forces have all the political and legal support for their actions“Noboa said in a message through Instagram.

The incidents are taking place as the search continues for José Adolfo Macías Salazar, alias “Fito”leader of ‘Los Choneros’, considered one of the most dangerous criminal gangs in the country due to its alleged links with Mexican cartels, and who apparently escaped from a prison in the province of Guayas.

The Secretary General of Communication of the Presidency, Roberto Izurieta, stated that, with some 3,000 police and military personnel, the search operation continued this Monday inside the prison where Fito was being held, a “criminal with extremely dangerous characteristicswith activities that have characteristics of terrorism“.

Asked on Teleamazonas television if he knew when Fito apparently escaped, Izurieta commented that “most likely” information was leaked and that it was “a matter of hours” before starting an operation in the prison on Sunday, when they discovered that the “prisoner was not in his place”.

“Incidents” in at least six prisons

The National Service for Comprehensive Care for Adults Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent Offenders (SNAI) reported this Monday that they activated security protocols in the event of incidents in six prisons in Ecuador and the retention of an undetermined number of prison guides.

A SNAI report indicates that since early Monday morning there have been “incidents” in different Deprivation of Liberty Centers (CPL) in the country.

Until noon, the SNAI had confirmation of the retention of employees of the Penitentiary Security and Surveillance Corps in the prisons: El Oro No. 1, Loja No. 1, Chimborazo No. 1, Cotopaxi No. 1 and Azuay No. 1. In addition, a group of prisoners burned mattresses in the courtyard of a detention center in the province of Pichincha, whose capital is Quito.

“In light of these events, the SNAI, together with the National Police and Armed Forces, has activated the security protocols established for these cases and is working in coordination to restore normality” in the prisons, the letter states. He pointed out that, so far, no injuries have been reported, nor any acts that violate security among inmates or prison staff.

Regarding the number of guards retained in the penitentiary centers, a source from the SNAI Communication Department said that over the course of the day they will update the information and asked for “compression” in order to be able to take care of “the integrity of the servers.”

The SNAI has not offered information on the causes of the incidents, but police sources indicated that the inmates of a prison in Tena (Amazon) they retained guides in protest of the alleged transfer of prisoners.