Guatemala’s president declares 30-day state of emergency after prison riots

President Bernardo Arevalo issues the bid aft astatine slightest 7 constabulary officers killed successful evident reprisal for authorities quelling riots, ending hostage-taking successful 3 prisons.

Guatemala’s president has declared a authorities of exigency pursuing a play eruption of unit during which pack members took dozens of hostages crossed 3 prisons and killed astatine slightest 7 constabulary officers successful the superior successful evident retribution, aft the authorities regained power of facilities wherever inmates had rioted.

President Bernardo Arevalo issued a 30-day bid connected Sunday, which restricts civilian liberties and allows information officers to apprehension oregon question individuals without anterior tribunal approval. The exigency bid takes contiguous effect, though it inactive needs to beryllium approved by Guatemala’s legislature.

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“These murders were carried retired with the volition of terrorising the information forces and the colonisation truthful that we springiness up successful the combat against gangs and their authorities of terror. But they volition fail,” Arevalo said successful a nationwide address.

The president said each hostages had been freed and declared 3 days of authorities mourning pursuing the attacks.

The situation riots began connected Saturday aft the administrators moved to bounds the privileges of pack leaders, including Aldo Duppie, the imprisoned person of Guatemala’s Barrio 18 gang.

Barrio 18 and its rival Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) were designated arsenic “foreign violent organizations” by the medication of United States President Donald Trump successful September, followed by Guatemala’s Congress a period later.

Gang-affiliated inmates took 46 situation guards and unit hostage crossed 3 prisons successful and astir Guatemala City connected Saturday, including the maximum-security situation holding Duppie, who is amended known by his nickname El Lobo oregon The Wolf.

Law enforcement officers escort Aldo Duppie, the imprisoned person of Guatemala’s Barrio 18 gang, aft regaining power of the situation wherever inmates rioted successful this handout representation released connected January 18, 2026 [Handout/National Civil Police via Reuters]

The riot astatine El Lobo’s situation was breached up by a lightning raid aboriginal connected Sunday greeting by constabulary and the military, followed by raids connected 2 much prisons the aforesaid day. The Barrio 18 person was photographed successful the custody of information forces wearing a blood-stained shirt.

Shortly aft the raids ended, retaliatory attacks began connected constabulary officers, sidesplitting astatine slightest 7 and injuring 10, according to authorities. Some media reports listed the fig of deaths arsenic 8 constabulary officers and 1 suspected pack member.

Interior Minister Marco Antonio Villeda earlier linked the constabulary officers’ deaths to pack reprisals “in effect to the actions the Guatemalan authorities is taking against them”.

The service volition “remain connected the streets” of Guatemala to proceed its crackdown connected pack members, according to Defence Minister Henry Saenz.

The US Embassy successful Guatemala City connected Sunday lifted its “shelter-in-place order” issued for unit implicit the play pursuing “coordinated, equipped attacks connected constabulary successful respective zones of Guatemala City”.