Security & Strategic Review - April 2026

On 10 February Guatemala’s interior ministry (Mingob) announced that it had completed its first ever census of its prison system. The move is in line with efforts by the left-of-centre government led by President Bernardo Arévalo to address the prison crisis. This was most recently exposed in January with a wave of gang violence and prison riots which left at least 11 police (PNC) officials dead, compelling the Arévalo government to declare a 30-day state of siege [SSR-26-02].