Guatemala's President Declares Emergency After Weekend Prisons Riots Spark Violence Against Security Forces.
President Bernardo Arevalo has authorized a 30-day state of emergency amid escalating violence in the aftermath of weekend prison riots that left at least seven police officers dead and dozens more injured, authorities said on Monday.
The president declared the emergency after gangs affiliated with Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha groups stormed prisons and took several dozen hostages across three facilities in Guatemala City. The inmates were demanding better treatment for their leader, Aldo Duppie, who is being held in a maximum-security prison.
On Saturday, the inmates kidnapped 46 staff members, including police officers, and held them hostage until authorities regained control of the prisons on Sunday morning after a lightning raid by security forces.
However, retaliatory attacks broke out shortly afterwards, targeting police officers, with at least seven of their colleagues killed and another 10 injured in the violence.
"These murders were carried out with the intention of terrorizing security forces and the population so that we give up in the fight against gangs and their regime of terror," President Arevalo said. "But they will fail."
President Bernardo Arevalo has authorized a 30-day state of emergency amid escalating violence in the aftermath of weekend prison riots that left at least seven police officers dead and dozens more injured, authorities said on Monday.
The president declared the emergency after gangs affiliated with Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha groups stormed prisons and took several dozen hostages across three facilities in Guatemala City. The inmates were demanding better treatment for their leader, Aldo Duppie, who is being held in a maximum-security prison.
On Saturday, the inmates kidnapped 46 staff members, including police officers, and held them hostage until authorities regained control of the prisons on Sunday morning after a lightning raid by security forces.
However, retaliatory attacks broke out shortly afterwards, targeting police officers, with at least seven of their colleagues killed and another 10 injured in the violence.
"These murders were carried out with the intention of terrorizing security forces and the population so that we give up in the fight against gangs and their regime of terror," President Arevalo said. "But they will fail."
this prison riot situation is just getting outta hand - like, 7 cops are dead already? and they're not even gonna stop till they take down those gangs? 
i guess the emergency state of affairs is necessary, but at what cost? can't we just find a way to negotiate with these inmates without resorting to this kind of violence? 
and btw, why do prison riots always seem to happen on weekends? it's like they're waiting for something 
. It's like a mix of sci-fi and adventure, with these crazy characters exploring different dimensions. I felt like I was right there with them, you know? The special effects are so realistic it's like... wait, what were we talking about again? 
Prisons in Guatemala, yeah that's on my mind too. Reminds me of those escape movies where the prisoners just keep coming up with crazy plans to break out. I mean, would they really be able to pull it off? 
... it's like these riots just perpetuate a cycle of violence. I mean, what's the solution here? Just locking people up and throwing away the key doesn't solve anything, right? And now we're seeing innocent police officers caught in the crossfire... 30 days of emergency rule might be just what the doctor ordered 
guatemala's prisons are literally going crazy and now the president has declared a state of emergency... like what even is going on? these gangs are just taking over everything and the police cant do anything about it? it's so sad that 7 police officers lost their lives already and more people got hurt. u feel for them, right? 
i'm all for protecting the security forces, but at the same time... what can be done to stop these gangs from just taking over everything?! 
The numbers are crazy, 7 police officers dead and 10 injured 
... did you see the stats on gang violence in Guatemala? It's been rising for years 
... 2023 saw a 30% increase in homicides compared to the previous year 
. And now this... with 46 staff members taken hostage, it's like they're trying to get attention 
... but what's crazy is that it's not just Guatemala - this is happening all over Central America 
... Costa Rica and El Salvador have seen similar outbreaks of violence 
... I think we need to look at the root causes here, like poverty and lack of job opportunities 
... anyone got any thoughts? 
this is really disturbing, a state of emergency because of prison riots 
how did it come to this? prisons should be safe places not scenes of violence 
and what about the conditions inside those prisons, is that why people are rioting? need to get to the bottom of this 
also hope the hostages are okay 