Seven Guatemalan Police Killed as Government Rejects Gang Demands

Guatemala’s interior minister on Sunday accused criminal gangs of killing seven police officers in retaliation for the government’s refusal to move jailed gang leaders to lower-security prisons.

The deadly attacks came a day after gang members staged coordinated unrest at three prisons across the country, taking 46 people hostage. Authorities said security forces managed to regain control of one of the facilities on Sunday.

Addressing a press conference, Interior Minister Marco Antonio Villeda expressed grief over the deaths and condemned the attacks, describing the assailants as terrorists responding violently to state action.

“I am deeply saddened by the deaths of seven National Civil Police officers who were cowardly attacked in response to the measures the Guatemalan state is taking against these groups,” he said.

Gang violence inside prisons has intensified since mid-2025, with inmates repeatedly launching uprisings to pressure authorities into easing detention conditions for their leaders.

Villeda reiterated that the government would not restore what he described as inmate “privileges,” stressing that the administration remains firm in its stance against gang influence and prison control.