Guatemala Declares SOE Amid Surge in Gang Violence

Guatemala’s president, Bernardo Arévalo, has declared a 30-day state of emergency after a wave of prison riots and gang violence left at least seven police officers dead and 10 others injured over the weekend.

The crisis began early Saturday when inmates at three men’s prisons took 46 prison guards hostage. Authorities blamed the unrest on the Barrio 18 gang, which they said was demanding greater privileges for its members behind bars.

Security forces eventually regained control of the prisons and recaptured the gang’s leader, Aldo Duppie, also known as “El Lobo”. Police images showed him being escorted out with a bloodied shoulder. Soon after, coordinated attacks targeting police broke out across several areas in and around Guatemala City. President Arévalo described the assaults as retaliation by gangs seeking to intimidate the state.

“These murders were intended to terrorise the security forces and the population so that we abandon the fight against gangs and their reign of fear,” Arévalo said. “But they will fail.”

In response, Arévalo declared a state of emergency, allowing the government to deploy both police and army forces more aggressively. The head of the National Civil Police urged residents to stay home, schools across the country were closed on Monday, and the U.S. Embassy issued a security alert for American citizens in Guatemala.

Barrio 18, along with rival gang MS‑13, has long been linked to extortion, drug trafficking, and violence across Central America. Guatemala’s Congress formally labelled Barrio 18 a terrorist organisation last year, following a similar designation by the United States.

Duppie, the gang’s leader, is serving prison sentences totalling nearly 2,000 years.