Guatemala, caught between gang bloodshed and the Bukele effect

"El Mezquital is neither a neighborhood nor a district. It started out as one, but now it's a motley patchwork of gray houses and corrugated metal roofs on the outskirts of Guatemala City. From here, the capital's buildings appear in the distance as tiny lights, as unattainable as green spaces, shopping malls, or health centers. Old yellow school buses burst noisily down the main street, belching smoke and carrying silent residents who travel with their cell phones hidden away."

"The Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha gangs, which have brought the country and the government of Bernardo Arevalo to its knees, emerged from here. Arevalo has declared a state of emergency in the country. Although the decree marked its first week in effect on January 25, in the streets of El Mezquital, only the old rules apply: See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil."

"Guatemala is one of the poorest and most violent countries in Latin America. With nearly 17 million inhabitants, the Central American nation boasts 22 Mayan languages, 37 volcanoes (four of them active), coastlines on both the Pacific and the Caribbean, and 10 people murdered every day. This security crisis is being confronted by a weak and isolated government that took office in January 2024 and is attempting to defeat an army of 30,000 tattooed gang members determined to overthrow it."

El Mezquital is a peripheral settlement of gray houses and corrugated metal roofs where Guatemala City's lights and public services feel unattainable. Violent gangs Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha originated there and exert strong local influence, enforcing silence among residents. A wave of coordinated attacks on January 17 killed ten police officers and wounded as many, prompting President Bernardo Arevalo to declare a state of emergency. Guatemala's weak and isolated government faces roughly 30,000 gang members while the country endures chronic poverty and violence, with about ten murders daily. The transfer of gang leaders to maximum-security detention preceded the recent escalation.

Read at english.elpais.com