GUATEMALA CITY (BN24) — Gang members in Guatemala have released 11 prison guards they held hostage for much of Tuesday in a violent standoff that erupted across two detention facilities, officials said.
Deputy Security Minister José Portillo confirmed the release shortly before midnight, hours after the guards were captured during riots in prisons housing members of the rival Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha gangs. While Portillo gave no details on the terms of the release, it remained unclear Wednesday whether the government made concessions to end the crisis. Authorities said they have since regained control of both facilities.
The unrest began early Tuesday in two prisons in Guatemala City, where inmates seized the guards amid demands that the government transfer gang leaders back to the prisons where they were previously held. Guatemala’s interior minister had earlier rejected those requests.
During the standoff, a guard and an inmate suffered gunshot wounds and were evacuated for medical treatment. Throughout the day, videos surfaced online showing the guards blindfolded and bound, while prisoners issued statements calling for the transfers.
The incident underscores the volatile conditions inside Guatemala’s overcrowded and gang-controlled prison system, where authorities have struggled for years to curb inmate violence and criminal operations directed from behind bars.
