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In a dramatic escalation of the Guatemalan government’s efforts to reassert control over organized criminal networks operating within its borders, President Bernardo Arévalo announced a 30-day state of emergency on Sunday, responding to a concentrated wave of violence that has shaken the Central American nation over the course of just a few days. The declaration came in the immediate aftermath of coordinated uprisings at three separate prisons across the country and the killing of eight police officers — events that authorities have directly attributed to organized criminal groups retaliating against government crackdowns on their operations.

The state of emergency, announced by President Arévalo at a Sunday afternoon news conference, grants expanded authority to both the national police and the Guatemalan army to act against criminal organizations and their networks. The president was careful to emphasize that the measure was targeted in its intent and would not significantly disrupt the daily lives of the vast majority of ordinary Guatemalan citizens. As a precautionary measure, schools were suspended on Monday, a decision framed as a temporary protective step while security forces worked to stabilize the situation across the most affected areas of the country.

A Weekend of Coordinated Violence