Eight inmates die, ten wounded in Ecuador prison riots

Eight inmates were killed and ten injured in riots at the Cotopaxi and Pichincha prisons on Thursday, October 22, 2026. Four deaths were reported at the Cotopaxi penitentiary and four at the Pichincha provisional detention centre, officials said. Army soldiers were seen patrolling outside the Pichincha centre as the violence unfolded. The riots add to a grim record of over 500 inmate deaths in Ecuadorian prisons since 2021. Authorities note that some prisons are under military control, yet drug‑trafficking gangs continue to run extortion and murder schemes from inside the walls. Prison officials identified those behind the disturbances and plan to move them to the maximum‑security El Encuentro facility, built by President Daniel Noboa’s government for the country’s most dangerous criminals. ## Context The surge in prison killings reflects the growing power of organized crime groups within Ecuador’s correctional system, a challenge that has persisted despite recent efforts to place armed forces in key facilities.