Ecuador Prison Director María Daniela Icaza Killed

Maria Daniela Icaza, the director of Ecuador's largest prison, the Litoral Penitentiary, was killed in an armed attack while traveling near Guayaquil, marking the second murder of a prison official in less than two weeks. The attack, which also left another prison officer injured, occurred on a road leading to Daule as Icaza was being transported to the hospital. The Litoral Penitentiary, notorious for its violent conditions and gang-related clashes, houses over 6,000 inmates and has witnessed numerous massacres in recent years. Ecuador's president, Daniel Noboa, has declared a state of 'internal armed conflict' due to the escalating violence attributed to drug gangs, with the country experiencing a record homicide rate of 47 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023. The military has been deployed to manage prison security amid this crisis, which has turned Ecuador from a relatively peaceful nation into one of the most dangerous in Latin America. Investigations are underway to identify the assailants responsible for Icaza's death.