By Gangsters Inc. Publishers
GuatemalaThe US president has declared a nationwide state of emergency following a violent weekend that exposed how gang power remains in the country's prisons and streets.
The emergency decree, initially set for 30 days, extends the authority of law enforcement and intelligence services after coordination gang actions became deadly.
It started behind bars. Inmates took control of three men's prisons on Saturday, taking at least 40 guards hostage in a calculated show of force. Riot police eventually regained control and freed the hostages, but the message had already gotten through.
Hours later, violence spilled into the streets.
Throughout the greater Guatemala City area, police officers have come under direct fire in what authorities say is a retaliatory campaign ordered by gang leaders. By the end of the weekend, eight police officers were dead. A gang member was also killed. Seven suspects were arrested.
According to authorities, the attacks were carried out by Barrio 18. The trigger: the government's decision to revoke the privileges long enjoyed by incarcerated gang leaders. Advantages that allowed them to continue carrying out criminal operations from within the prison walls.
For years, Guatemala's penitentiaries functioned less like detention centers than gang headquarters.
Gangs versus government
President Bernardo Arévalo made it clear that he had no intention of backing down: “We do not negotiate with criminals and we will not tolerate terrorist acts,” he said. “Within the limits of the law, we will bring them to their knees with the sword of justice. »
Despite the sweeping emergency powers, Arevalo insisted the measures were not intended to disrupt the daily lives of ordinary Guatemalans. The government nevertheless declared three days of national mourning and schools across the country were closed as a precaution.
The weekend's bloodshed highlighted a harsh truth the region knows well: When prison privileges are threatened, gangs respond with bullets. Most importantly, these bullets are not fired inside the prisons, but outside, endangering the lives of hard-working Guatemalans.
The bullets will keep flying until it's clear who runs the streets: the gangs or the government.
Copyright © Gangsters Inc.
