Inmates at a prison complex in the Ecuadorian port city of Guayaquil, from where the leader of one of the country's most notorious criminal gangs escaped in January, are believed to be involved in an "internal revolt", according to the body in charge of the penitentiary system (SNAI).

"Los Choneros" leader Adolfo "Fito" Macias's escape earlier this year triggered a wave of violence and forced President Daniel Noboa to impose a state of emergency and declare the country in "a state of war" against gangs.

Ecuadorian prisons are the centre of operations and battleground for numerous drug trafficking gangs linked to international cartels. Although prisoner revolts are common, this is the first that President Daniel Noboa has faced since he took power in November.