Guatemala City (AFP) – Guatemalan authorities controlled riots in two prisons where inmates, many of them gang members, had taken about 40 police officers hostage to demand better prison conditions, the management of the penitentiary system reported this Thursday.

First modification: 06/11/2026 - 18:07

The riots occurred in the midst of a security crisis in the country, still shocked by the shooting murder in October of former anti-corruption prosecutor Juan Francisco Solórzano Foppa, who denounced links between gangs and politicians. The head of the state Penitentiary System, Jorge López, said in a press conference that the riots began on Wednesday night in the El Boquerón prisons (east) and in Renovación I (south), a high security center where leaders of the Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gangs are held.

López explained that the prisoners rioted due to the discontent generated by the new visiting restrictions and the elimination of "benefits" they had, such as the entry of household appliances.

"We did not enter into any negotiations" to release the detained guards, the official stated, adding that they controlled the situation this Thursday "through pressure" from the security forces.

López assured that "there were no confrontations" and that the prison police "are safe and were not attacked."

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo faces criticism for the increase in criminal violence in the Central American country.

Last January, a series of attacks by the Barrio 18 gang left 11 police officers dead in different parts of the country. The attacks were preceded by riots in several prisons.

© 2026 AFP

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