Guatemala’s inside minister accused gangs of killing seven police on Sunday in retaliation for the federal government’s refusal to switch gang leaders to a lower-security jail.
The killings occurred a day after gang member inmates took 46 individuals hostage in three prisons throughout the nation. Police regained management of one in every of them on Sunday.
“I’m deeply saddened by the deaths of seven Nationwide Civil Cops who had been cowardly attacked by these terrorists in response to the actions the Guatemalan state is taking towards them,” Inside Minister Marco Antonio Villeda advised a press convention.
Since mid-2025, gang members have staged uprisings at prisons to demand their leaders be held in less-restricted circumstances.
Villeda stated Saturday that the federal government wouldn’t reinstate the prisoners’ “privileges.”
NATIONAL CIVIL POLICE by way of Reuters
Guatemala is stricken by prison violence, primarily perpetrated by the Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gangs, that are thought of terrorist organizations by the Central American nation and the US.
Barrio 18 and MS-13 are rivals, battling for territorial management in Guatemala by extorting shopkeepers, transport staff and civilians.
In October, Guatemalan authorities reported that 20 leaders of the Barrio 18 gang had escaped from a jail. Solely six have been recaptured, whereas one other was shot and killed.
Guatemala ended final yr with a murder charge of 16.1 per 100,000 inhabitants, greater than double the worldwide common.
Final month, at the very least 12 our bodies had been discovered in a wooded space on the outskirts of Guatemala Metropolis, and authorities linked the invention to gang violence.
Final summer season, authorities stated at the very least seven individuals had been killed when armed gang members stormed into the funeral of a Barrio 18 member.
