Spanish
Henry Saenz confirmed that the Army of Guatemala will maintain an indefinite presence in the eastern region following the armed attack recorded on Monday in the village of San José Las Lágrimas, in Chiquimula, where soldiers went after hearing shots, found destroyed and burned houses, and found the body of a peasant; according to the Minister of National Defense, the deployment seeks to stabilize the border area with Honduras while investigations continue into who participated and with what objective.
The official said by telephone in the weekly press conference at the National Palace of Culture that a column of 20 "agricultural" vehicles headed to that community.
According to Henry Saenz, the military detachment of San José Las Lágrimas reacted upon hearing the shots, found some of the retreating vehicles, and activated reinforcements to secure the area.We recommend reading:Guatemalan Army reinforces border security with Honduras after wave of violence
Saenz reported that the second brigade based in Zacapa mobilized personnel to reinforce the position and that kaibiles were also sent from the capital to the international political border. According to the minister, the Army has already provided data on the vehicles involved to the institutions responsible for the investigation. The government's official message was that military operations will continue "indefinitely" in Chiquimula and Izabal. According to Saenz, the objective is to restore "security and tranquility" and allow the population to resume their daily lives. Guatemalan Army soldiers patrol the border area with Honduras after repelling an incursion of vehicles.The government said it still doesn't know who crossed the border or what their objective was
President Bernardo Arévalo supported the minister's statement and affirmed that the incident is still under investigation in both countries. According to Arévalo, there is still no clarity on “who the people are, if they were Hondurans, if they were Guatemalans, what they were doing, what their intentions were.” The president added that there are already contacts between security forces on the ground and that the chiefs of staff of Guatemala and Honduras met to coordinate actions around the case. According to Arévalo, the investigation is progressing simultaneously within Guatemala, with the competent entities, and in coordination with Honduran security forces. Saenz told the population of San José Las Lágrimas that the military reaction avoided greater damage. In his speech, the minister regretted the death recorded at the scene, but stated: “If the soldier had hesitated from the first moment, I am sure the disaster would have been greater.” The minister also asked the inhabitants of the area to provide any useful information directly to the deployed soldiers. According to Saenz, the troops will remain with a greater presence in the area and will treat the information received confidentially to improve operations.Arévalo denied a border failure and linked the violence to criminal structures
During the same conference, Arévalo answered questions about a possible weakness in border control, following recent events in the border area with Honduras.The president first corrected that the events of the previous week occurred on Honduran territory and that the people treated in Guatemala crossed for humanitarian reasons, not as a result of an armed incursion into Guatemalan soil.
Regarding the most recent attack in Chiquimula, Arévalo acknowledged that there was indeed a penetration into Guatemalan territory, although he said it is still unknown by whom. According to the president, what happened afterwards showed the Army's "presence, responsiveness," because the column fled when it was repelled with fire.You can also read:Outgoing Guatemalan prosecutor defends her management and denounces campaign to discredit her
Arévalo also recalled a previous episode on the border with Mexico, where, according to his version, a Mexican group of drug traffickers penetrated Guatemala and was immediately repelled by the Army. He said that in that case there were “at least one or two victims” among the attackers and maintained that both episodes show military reaction capacity in the border areas. The president attributed the violence on the borders with Honduras and Mexico to activities linked to drug trafficking and other illicit trafficking. According to Arévalo, the device called Fire Belt has been operating on the border with Mexico since January 2024, while on the border with Honduras there is another military deployment installed after a visit from a security official from the United States government.
