Sectores agrarios y parlamentarios advierten sobre el riesgo de clientelismo político y un incremento desmedido de la deuda.

Authorities Attribute Surge in Cases to Gang Rivalries and Territorial Disputes.

In its latest statistical report, Attorney General’s Office recorded the discovery of 137 bodies abandoned wrapped in plastic, sheets or sacks so far in 2026 and attributed the cases to a criminal practice linked to disputes between Guatemalan gangs.

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Guatemalan Farmer Organizations to Hold Mass Demonstrations

“According to investigations and analyses conducted by specialized units, one of the main lines of investigation into the abandoned bodies is related to rivalry and territorial disputes between criminal organizations,” National Civil Police spokesman Cesar Mateo said, noting that only 39 similar cases were discovered in 2025.

The main motivations behind these crimes are “control of areas used for the sale and distribution of drugs, as well as ‘disciplinary actions’ within the gangs themselves,” he added.

Authorities attribute these crimes primarily to violent disputes between the Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18 gangs, which were designated terrorist organizations under Guatemalan law in 2025.

Prosecutors’ records show that 68 of the murder victims were found in plastic bags and 53 wrapped in sheets, while 10 were found inside sacks. The remaining bodies were discovered under different circumstances.

The bodies are often abandoned by their killers along desolate stretches of road or in deserted areas, but they are also found in urban areas. One of the most recent cases occurred in September, when authorities found the bodies of two people whose hands and feet were bound.

The discovery took place in the municipality of Chinautla, 3 miles from downtown Guatemala City, where volunteer firefighters rescuers were alerted to two bodies wrapped in plastic bags beside the road.

So far, no information about those responsible is available, while the Attorney General’s Office and the National Civil Police are investigating the case using surveillance cameras.

BERNARDO, ESTAMOS PEOR QUE NUNCA.

Guatemala ya no aguanta más.

Secuestros. Extorsiones. Asaltos todos los días. Cadáveres en bolsas. Balaceras. Muertes.

¿Qué estamos viviendo?

Guatemala está atravesando un COLAPSO DE SEGURIDAD y los guatemaltecos vivimos con miedo.

Ni con… pic.twitter.com/MIvUZlL6iO

— Guatemala Inmortal (@Guate_Inmortal_) August 28, 2026

The text addressing to the Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo reads: “BERNARDO, WE ARE WORSE OFF THAN EVER. Guatemala can take no more. Kidnappings. Extortion. Daily assaults. Bodies in bags. Shootouts. Deaths.

What are we living through? Guatemala is experiencing a SECURITY COLLAPSE, and we Guatemalans are living in fear. Not under Giammattei. Not under Jimmy Morales. Not under the Patriot Party.

In decades, we have never felt this level of abandonment and insecurity. This was not the ‘spring’ that was promised. It is the spring of criminals.

Insecurity has taken root. Gangs are advancing while the State retreats. President Bernardo Arevalo: do something. Because while your government talks, Guatemala lives in fear.”

Identifying the Bodies

The stark statistics contrast with the daily human tragedy, as occurred last August when two young people, ages 18 and 19, were found wrapped in bags in southern Guatemala City. The discovery triggered scenes of grief and helplessness when their relatives arrived at the scene after searching for them for 24 hours following their abduction from a nearby soccer field.

The discoveries have been reported in 14 of the country’s 22 departments, although most of the abandoned bodies have been concentrated in the department of Guatemala, where authorities detected 105 bodies left in the open.

The police spokesman explained that the manner and circumstances in which the victims are abandoned provide key clues that the Video Forensics Unit and investigators analyze through surveillance footage to reconstruct the routes used to transport the bodies and identify those responsible.

As a result of investigations into this pattern, Mateo confirmed that security forces have arrested more than 10 people linked to the abandonment of bodies wrapped in sheets and bags. They include seven suspected Mara Salvatrucha members arrested in September and accused of at least 17 homicides.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

They demand measures to curb inflation, nationalize electricity service, and organize a plurinational constituent assembly.

On Monday, the Farmer Development Committee (CODECA), the Altiplano Farmer Committee (CCDA) and the National Front for Struggle (FNL) will hold mass demonstrations in Guatemala’s main departmental capitals.

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The mobilizations aim to pressure authorities to address a broad agenda of economic, social, judicial and political demands.

In a joint statement, the organizations called on the executive branch and Congress to adopt urgent measures to curb inflation and lower the cost of living.

As part of their economic proposals, they criticized subsidies granted to companies that import hydrocarbons and proposed redirecting those funds toward the construction of a national refinery.

They also demanded the nationalization of electricity service, criticizing distributor Energuate for its high rates in communities.

#AHORA Integrantes de los movimientos sociales CODECA, FNL, CCDA y sociedad civil llevan a cabo una caminata con motivo del Día de la Raza, que se conmemora cada 12 de octubre, en protesta "por la grave situación económica, social y política que atraviesa Guatemala" | Vía Omar… pic.twitter.com/3F8OhvWutN

— Emisoras Unidas (@EmisorasUnidas) October 12, 2026

The text reads, “Members of the social movements CODECA, FNL, CCDA and civil society conduct a walk on the occasion of Race Day, which is celebrated every 12 October, in protest ‘for the serious economic, social and political situation that Guatemala is going through’.”

On administrative and budgetary matters, the social organizations proposed capping the salaries of lawmakers and senior public officials at a maximum of five minimum wages. The groups suggested using the savings generated by this measure to finance the purchase of medical supplies and the construction of laboratories across the public hospital network.

On legislative matters, they called for the repeal of Decree 8-2023, which introduced reforms to the Criminal Code and the Law Against Organized Crime. They also rejected Initiative 6816, concerning the Water Law, calling for any water-related legislation to be drafted with the active participation of communities.

The demands also extend to the justice system and the country’s institutions. The organizations called on the Public Ministry to investigate judicial officials, magistrates, and legislators over ties to corruption networks and organized crime.

Likewise, they demanded an immediate halt to evictions and systematic persecution of Indigenous and farmer leaders. They also called for the resignation of Walter Mazariegos, rector of the University of San Carlos (USAC), as well as magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice and the Constitutional Court.

Finally, the Farmer Development Committee, the Altiplano Farmer Committee and the National Front for Struggle also emphasized the need to coordinate a collective process aimed at establishing a popular, plurinational constituent assembly.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: teleSUR

This is the driest year on record in Tegucigalpa. Eighty percent of Honduran territory is on red alert, and the capital has had a potable water rationing system every 12 days for a month. The lack of rain is making maize and bean crops in Guatemala — the main food source in a country with the region’s highest rate of chronic child malnutrition — even more vulnerable. The Panama Canal has begun restricting vessel traffic because of water stress in the basin, and the parched Amazon rivers are isolating dozens of riverside communities in Brazil and hampering fishermen’s work.

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© Ivan Valencia (AP)

The EU welcomes Cambodia’s decision to join the Multi-party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA) for WTO members, contributing to efforts to uphold a rules-based multilateral trading system. 

With Cambodia’s participation, the MPIA now covers 62 World Trade Organization (WTO) members and 60.4% of world trade.  

The MPIA brings together participants from all continents and at different levels of development, united by a shared commitment to upholding the rules-based trading system. 

The MPIA preserves the right to appeal in trade disputes among participating WTO members, at a time when the WTO’s Appellate Body remains non-functioning. It helps ensure that disputes can continue to be resolved in an orderly and binding manner, avoiding appeals 'into the void'. 

“I welcome Cambodia to the MPIA. The arrangement plays an important role in upholding the rules-based trading system. Each new participant helps reinforce the predictability, stability and credibility of global trade rules. I encourage other WTO members to join the MPIA,” said EU Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič. 

Background 

The MPIA was established in 2020 and has proven its effectiveness in many WTO disputes.  

Under the MPIA, appeals are heard by arbitrators randomly selected from a pool of 10 standing appeal arbitrators set up by the participating WTO members. These arbitrators are persons of recognised authority, with demonstrated expertise in law, international trade and WTO agreements.  

The MPIA is open to all WTO members as a practical tool for appeal arbitration, pending the restoration of a reformed and fully functioning WTO dispute settlement system. 

As of 1 June 2025, the MPIA has an updated pool of appeal arbitrators to ensure that appeals continue to be heard by independent arbitrators of the highest calibre. 

At the WTO Ministerial Conference that took place earlier this year, MPIA ministers stressed the importance of the MPIA for the security and predictability of the multilateral trading system.  

The current MPIA participants are Australia, Barbados, Benin, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, China, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the European Union (and its Member States), Guatemala, Hong Kong (China), Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, Macao (China), Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Uruguay and Vietnam.

More information

MC14: Supporting the rules-based multilateral trading system: the role of the MPIA