Ecuador cracks down on prisons to restore order after hostage crisis

Inmates lie on the floor after Ecuador's police and armed forces freed prison staff members who had been held hostage by the prisoners, in Ambato, Ecuador, in this Handout picture made available on January 13, 2024. Armed Forces of Ecuador/Handout via REUTERS

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador's police and military on Sunday were aiming to restore order inside the country's dangerous prisons where dozens of staff were held hostage by inmates amid an uptick in violence in the Andean nation.

Images on social media shared by Ecuadorean armed forces showed shirtless prisoners on their knees with hands on their heads as armed soldiers entered the seven jails that were the scenes of a hostage crisis that ended Saturday evening.