Guatemala’s president, Bernardo Arévalo, declared a 30-day nationwide state of emergency to tackle deadly gang violence. This follows the killing of eight police officers and a prison hostage crisis. On Saturday, inmates linked to gangs took 46 people hostage in three prisons. They demanded that gang leaders be moved to lower-security prisons. By Sunday, authorities had retaken control of all three prisons. President Arévalo said there were "not a single casualty" during the operations. The Interior Minister, Marco Antonio Villeda, said the eight officers died "in the line of duty at the hands of criminals." Ten other officers were injured and one gang member was killed. The state of emergency suspends the right of assembly and allows arrests without court orders. Congress, controlled by the opposition, must approve this measure. Opposition leader Luís Contreras called for unity, calling the moment "one of the most painful and challenging" in Guatemala's history. The US embassy advised its staff to stay indoors and avoid crowds. The government closed schools on Monday. Early Sunday, police and army forces used armored vehicles and teargas to enter the Renovacion I maximum-security prison in Escuintla. They freed nine hostages without casualties. Villeda called the attackers "terrorists" responding to government actions against gangs. Authorities also freed 28 hostages at Fraijanes II prison and 9 at Preventivo prison near Guatemala City. The suspected gang leader, Aldo Dupie, aka "El Lobo," from the Barrio 18 gang, was captured with bloodstained clothes. Barrio 18 and rival gang MS-13 control much of the country's drug trafficking and violence. The US classifies both as terrorist groups. Guatemala’s homicide rate in 2025 was 16.1 per 100,000 people, over twice the global average. Defence Minister Henry Saenz said the army will "remain on the streets" to dismantle criminal gangs.