GUATEMALA CITY — A wave of violence linked to organized crime erupted across Guatemala this weekend, leaving at least seven police officers dead and several more wounded in what authorities described as retaliatory attacks following a government crackdown on prison gangs.
The unrest began after inmates in three maximum-security prisons rioted and took dozens of guards hostage in a coordinated protest last Saturday. The government moved swiftly to retake control, deploying hundreds of anti-riot police and military forces to break up the uprisings, free the hostages and reassert authority, particularly at the Renovación I prison in Escuintla province.
Shortly after security forces regained control and arrested several gang members including prominent leaders, suspected gang affiliates launched armed attacks on police officers in and around Guatemala City. Interior Minister Marco Antonio Villeda said the assaults were a direct response to the state’s intensified actions against criminal groups and affirmed that authorities would not “bow to criminal pressure.”
President Bernardo Arévalo declared a 30-day state of siege to grant security forces broader powers in combating gang violence and ordered a temporary suspension of some civil liberties. Schools were also closed nationwide as a precaution.
The violence underscores Guatemala’s ongoing struggle with powerful criminal gangs and the challenges the government faces in restoring public security. — news as reported
