Spanish
Guatemala City,.- Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo de León decreed a state of siege for 30 days across the country this Sunday following a wave of violence by gangs with attacks on security forces and riots in prisons.
The decision, announced by the ruler on a national broadcast, takes place after eight agents of the National Civil Police were murdered this Sunday, attacked in different parts of the country's capital, presumably in a coordinated attack by gang members.
You may be interested in: Inmates rioting take 46 hostages in three Guatemalan prisons
The state of siege allows authorities to detain any person without a warrant and is designed to ensure security against terrorism or rebel activities. In addition, it prohibits gatherings or demonstrations. The president emphasized during his message to the nation that "we will not allow violence and intimidation to dictate the course of Guatemala." According to the president, the strategy "against criminals is succeeding" and therefore "they are desperate". In the same context, according to Arévalo de Leon, criminal groups decided to riot on Saturday in several prisons and "in retaliation for the successful operations" this Sunday to regain control of the prisons, gang members attacked the security forces. "I want to say loud and clear that we do not negotiate with criminals nor do we tolerate terrorist actions," he added. The president emphasized that the declaration of the state of siege will not alter the "daily life" of the population or the "mobility of the population", beyond the suspension of the school day scheduled for this Monday in the private and public spheres. Arévalo de León also pointed out that "we know who is behind it: groups that benefit from the corruption that grows in the shadows", that "resist and seek to instill terror" because "this year Guatemala will recover its justice system", in reference to the change of attorney general scheduled for May, in addition to the renewal of the Constitutional Court, the country's highest court. The attacks by alleged gang members against the National Civil Police left eight agents dead, in addition to an alleged hitman also deceased. The attacks were recorded in various parts of Guatemala City and keep the population and security forces on alert.
