Guatemala's president has declared a 30-day nationwide state of emergency to combat criminal gangs after eight police officers were killed in violence linked to prison hostage-taking. President Bernardo Arévalo said authorities had retaken control of all three prisons where inmates had seized hostages.
The officers were killed in Guatemala City and surrounding areas a day after gang-affiliated inmates took 46 people hostage, demanding that incarcerated gang leaders be moved to lower-security facilities. Interior minister Marco Antonio Villeda described the killings as carried out by “these terrorists” in response to state action. Ten other officers were wounded, and one suspected gang member was killed.
The state of emergency, which requires approval from the opposition-controlled Congress, suspends the right of assembly and permits individuals to be arrested and interrogated without a court order. Opposition leader Luís Contreras called for unity to face “one of the most painful and challenging moments” in the country's history. The US embassy advised personnel to shelter in place, and schools were shut on Monday.
On Sunday, police and army forces entered the Renovacion I maximum-security prison in Escuintla using armoured vehicles and teargas, freeing nine hostages without casualties. A further 28 hostages were released at Fraijanes II and nine at Preventivo. The interior ministry released a video showing the alleged leader of the Barrio 18 gang, Aldo Dupie, alias “El Lobo”, being handcuffed in bloodstained clothing.
Defence minister Henry Saenz said the army would “remain on the streets” to continue dismantling criminal groups. Barrio 18 and its rival Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) are blamed for much of the drug trafficking and violence in the Central American country and have been designated terrorist organisations by Washington. Guatemala's homicide rate in 2025 was 16.1 per 100,000 inhabitants, more than double the global average.
