Members of the National Civil Police stand next to redetained inmates lying on the ground, following security forces regaining control of the Renovacion 1 prison where inmates rioted and took hostages to demand greater privileges for a gang leader, in a location given as Escuintla, Guatemala, in this handout image released on January 18, 2026./NATIONAL CIVIL POLICE via Reuters

Guatemala`s interior minister accused gangs of killing seven police on Sunday in retaliation for the government`s refusal to transfer gang leaders to a lower-security prison.

The killings occurred a day after gang member inmates took 46 people hostage in three prisons across the country. Police regained control of one of them on Sunday.

"I am deeply saddened by the deaths of seven National Civil Police officers who were cowardly attacked by these terrorists in response to the actions the Guatemalan state is taking against them," Interior Minister Marco Antonio Villeda told a press conference.

Since mid-2025, gang members have staged uprisings at prisons to demand their leaders be held in less-restricted conditions.

Villeda said Saturday that the government would not reinstate the prisoners` "privileges."

Guatemala is plagued by criminal violence, mainly perpetrated by the Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gangs, which are considered terrorist organizations by the Central American country and the United States.

Barrio 18 and MS-13 are rivals, battling for territorial control in Guatemala by extorting shopkeepers, transport workers and civilians.

In October, Guatemalan authorities reported that 20 leaders of the Barrio 18 gang had escaped from a prison. Only six have been recaptured, while another was shot and killed.

Guatemala ended last year with a homicide rate of 16.1 per 100,000 inhabitants, more than double the global average.

Last month, at least 12 bodies were found in a wooded area on the outskirts of Guatemala City, and authorities linked the discovery to gang violence.

Last summer, authorities said at least seven people were killed when armed gang members stormed into the funeral of a Barrio 18 member.