Guatemala’s president declares 30-day state of emergency after prison riots

Al JazeeraCenterEN 2 min read 100% complete by Erin HaleJanuary 19, 2026 at 06:35 AM

AI Summary

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Guatemala's President Bernardo Arevalo declared a 30-day state of emergency on January 19, 2026, after gang-related violence erupted in multiple prisons. The unrest involved inmates taking 46 prison guards and staff hostage and resulted in the deaths of at least seven police officers in the capital. The violence was seemingly in retaliation for authorities limiting privileges of gang leaders, including Barrio 18 leader Aldo Duppie. The state of emergency restricts civil liberties, allowing security forces to make arrests without prior court approval, and requires legislative approval. President Arevalo stated that all hostages have been freed.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

National Civil Police 35% United States 40% Donald Trump 50% Guatemala City 60% Aldo Duppie (El Lobo, The Wolf) ×375% Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) 80% Barrio 18 ×385% Bernardo Arevalo ×390% Guatemala ×695%

Keywords

state of emergency 90% guatemala 80% prison riots 80% gang violence 70% police officers killed 60% hostage-taking 60% barrio 18 50% bernardo arevalo 50% civil liberties 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.60

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Guatemala

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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state of emergency guatemala prison riots gang violence police officers killed hostage-taking barrio 18 bernardo arevalo civil liberties

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