Two gang leaders who Ecuadorean authorities say are responsible for violence inside prisons were moved to a maximum security facility on Friday, the government said, part of efforts to reduce violence in the country's chaotic jails.
At least five police officers were killed earlier this month in attacks in reaction to the transfer of about 1,000 prisoners, while at least two inmates died in related violence.
Ecuador's prison system has faced structural problems for decades, but jail violence has soared since late 2020, killing at least 400 people and terrorizing inmates' families.
