Guatemala Prison Uprising Kills Seven Officers, Government Declares State of Emergency
en01.web.id – Guatemala (Central America).
A large-scale uprising broke out at several high-security prisons in Escuintla and areas surrounding Guatemala City, the country of Guatemala, on Tuesday (January 20, 2026). The incident left at least seven Guatemalan security officers dead and dozens of prison guards taken hostage by inmates affiliated with organized criminal gangs. The violence later spread beyond prison walls, triggering a series of armed attacks in the capital, Guatemala City, Guatemala.
Guatemala’s Ministry of the Interior said the riots occurred in a coordinated manner at multiple correctional facilities across the country, including a maximum-security prison in Escuintla, Guatemala, about 60 kilometers south of the capital. Inmates believed to be members of the Barrio 18 gang and the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) network attacked prison guards, seized control of several cell blocks, and took hostages to pressure the Guatemalan government over tightened prison security policies.
“This was a direct attack on the State of Guatemala and its security institutions,” Guatemala’s Interior Minister Francisco Jiménez said during an official press conference in Guatemala City, Guatemala. He stressed that the uprising was not a spontaneous incident but a planned operation involving criminal networks operating both inside prisons and outside prison walls across Guatemala.
According to the Guatemalan National Civil Police, security forces quickly launched operations to regain control of prisons in Escuintla and several other departments in Guatemala. However, as these operations were underway, armed groups affiliated with the criminal gangs carried out retaliatory attacks at several strategic locations in Guatemala City, including ambushes targeting police patrols and security posts.
The attacks outside the prisons resulted in the deaths of seven Guatemalan police officers and security personnel, while several others sustained gunshot wounds and serious injuries. Authorities believe the violence was a coordinated retaliation by national gang networks that have long exerted strong influence within Guatemala’s prison system.
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo, speaking in an official statement from the Presidential Palace in Guatemala City, expressed condolences to the families of the victims. “The State of Guatemala will not yield to criminal gang terror. We will use all legal authority to restore national security and protect the Guatemalan people,” Arévalo said.
In response to the escalating national security situation, President Arévalo declared a state of emergency (state of siege) in Guatemala City and other affected regions across Guatemala. The measure grants expanded powers to Guatemalan security forces and the military, including intensified patrols, arrests, and temporary restrictions on public activities to maintain public order.
Sergio Vela, Director of Guatemala’s Prison System, said from the prison administration headquarters in Guatemala City that most of the hostages were successfully freed following tactical security operations. “The State of Guatemala has regained control of the prison facilities in Escuintla and rescued the detained officers. The situation is now under control, although security remains on heightened alert,” Vela said.
The Guatemalan government said the incident is closely linked to national efforts to dismantle organized crime, which for years has used prisons in Guatemala as command centers for criminal operations. As of Tuesday night, Guatemalan security forces continued search and pursuit operations against those responsible in the capital and other regions of Guatemala, while authorities vowed that all individuals involved would be prosecuted under Guatemala’s national law.
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