Guatemala declares emergency after armed attacks in Sololá leave at least five dead

# Guatemala declares emergency after armed attacks in Sololá leave at least five dead

The president of Guatemala has imposed a state of emergency in two municipalities in the country’s west after a day of coordinated armed attacks that killed at least five people and raised fears that criminal groups were trying to push security forces out of the area.

Bernardo Arévalo said the emergency would apply for 15 days in Nahualá and Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán, both in the department of Sololá. The decision followed attacks a day earlier on a military post and a police station, along with road blockades and bus hijackings. Arévalo said the government would reinforce security in the region.

The emergency is the first declared under his administration. It suspends several rights, including open-air meetings, public demonstrations and events, and allows security forces to break up unauthorized gatherings, especially those involving weapons or violent acts. It also restricts protests that interrupt movement or public services.

Arévalo made the announcement alongside Interior Minister Marco Villeda and acting Defense Minister José Giovanni Martínez Milán. He described the situation as a critical moment for both Sololá and the wider country. He also said the armed groups were linked to extortion and drug trafficking.

The violence appears to have unfolded over several days. According to the report from the AP carried by CityNews Halifax, the initial attacks began on Thursday when armed men struck the military post, leaving four people wounded. By Saturday, the conflict had escalated into a larger security crisis. Officials said armed men could be seen in footage wearing camouflage or military-style clothing, helmets and bulletproof vests while carrying high-calibre weapons near a busy main road.

Casualty figures were not fully settled at the time of the report. Interior Minister Marco Villeda said five people had died, while the director of the National Civil Police had earlier said six people were dead, including a soldier. The discrepancy underscores how fluid the toll remained as authorities continued to assess the aftermath.

The two municipalities have long-standing disputes over water sources and local roads, and those tensions have led to deaths in previous years. Arévalo said this case was different: in his view, the attack was not a community conflict but a direct assault on the military post.

The government’s response now centres on restoring control and preventing further escalation. The emergency gives officials a broader legal basis to move quickly in an area where violence, local rivalries and criminal pressure have overlapped. For now, authorities have put the emphasis on containment and on keeping the fighting from spreading beyond Sololá.

The episode adds to pressure on Arévalo’s government as it confronts organised violence in rural areas and tries to signal that armed groups will not be allowed to seize territory by force.