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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“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

Armed gang violence raises doubts about whether the long-delayed presidential and legislative elections will take place.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime told security agencies that a conducive environment was needed to hold presidential and legislative elections on Dec. 13.

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He attended a meeting of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), which was also attended by Defense Minister Mario Andresol; National Police Director Andre Vladimir Paraison; Armed Forces Commander Derby Guerrier; and Maj. Gen. Edernebat Batsuuri of Mongolia, commander of the Gang Suppression Force (GSF).

“The meeting made it possible to assess the national security situation and examine the measures needed to establish the security conditions essential for organizing the upcoming elections,” the office of Prime Minister Fils-Aime said.

The CEP scheduled the first round of presidential and legislative elections for Dec. 13. The elections have been postponed several times since 2021 and were supposed to take place Aug. 30 this year.

The last Haitian president elected by popular vote was Jovenel Moïse, who took office in February 2017 and was assassinated July 7, 2021, at his residence in Port-au-Prince by Colombian mercenaries.

'WE WERE TREATED LIKE ANIMALS'

Dozens of people are feared dead after armed gangs stormed Kenscoff, Haiti, burning homes and forcing hundreds to flee.

Haitian rights group RNDDH says the toll could reach 40 as searches continue. Among the sites attacked was a church sheltering… pic.twitter.com/HwH4i1beKn

— Global South World (@g_s_world) August 25, 2026

Armed Gang Violence

Haitians are also expected to vote on several proposed constitutional changes. However, the severe violence and insecurity crisis, with armed gangs controlling most of Port-au-Prince and other areas of the country, has cast doubt on whether the elections will take place.

“The government reaffirms its determination to work in collaboration with the relevant institutions to establish a secure environment conducive to holding credible, inclusive and democratic elections,” the prime minister’s office said.

The assessment is expected to enable the Provisional Electoral Council “to have reliable data and a more accurate picture of the current security situation.”

Last week, electoral authorities extended the candidate registration period through Oct. 31 and postponed the start of the election campaign, which had been scheduled for Oct. 5. Some sectors have interpreted the moves as a sign that the elections will be postponed once again because of the critical security situation, but the CEP has not commented on the matter.

The armed gangs are being fought by the Gang Suppression Force (GSF), which was established a year ago by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Its mandate was renewed for six months on Sept. 29.

More than 5,700 people have been killed or injured so far this year in Haiti as a result of violence by the gangs are also suspected of being responsible for more than 230 kidnappings and the rape of more than 1,000 women and girls.

teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE