QUITO — Ecuador's government declared a state of emergency across its prison system on Tuesday after fighting between rival gangs at a facility near Guayaquil left dozens of inmates dead, the SNAI prison authority said. President Daniel Noboa ordered the armed forces to retake control.

Clashes broke out overnight inside one of the country's most overcrowded penitentiaries, where members of the Los Choneros and Los Lobos organisations have long competed for control of cell blocks. Security forces recovered firearms and improvised weapons during the operation, the SNAI agency said.

Ecuador has endured repeated prison massacres since 2021, with more than 500 inmates killed in gang-related violence over five years, according to government figures. Noboa, who won re-election in 2025 on a hardline security platform, has repeatedly deployed the military under successive states of emergency to confront criminal organisations.

The latest violence renewed pressure on Noboa's administration to demonstrate results from its militarised crackdown. Human rights groups have criticised the approach, arguing it has failed to reduce killings behind bars. Government spokespeople said reinforcements had been sent to secure the perimeter and transfer high-profile detainees.

Interior Ministry officials said the death toll could rise as authorities completed a headcount inside the facility. Relatives gathered outside the prison gates demanding information about detained family members.