GUATEMALA CITY, Nov 14 (Reuters) – Guatemalan authorities on Saturday decreed a state of emergency in the eastern departments of Zacapa and Izabal, banning gatherings and boosting powers for security forces, a week after a lawmaker and three police officers were killed in an attack.
The decree limits outdoor gatherings and allows security officials to disperse groups by force, as well as to make arrests and enter residences without a warrant. It is effective immediately and through the next 30 days.
The two neighboring departments span an area roughly the size of Qatar.
The announcement follows a series of armed attacks in Zacapa, including the shooting of lawmaker Julio Cesar Portillo in Rio Hondo on November 6. Portillo was taken to a hospital but later died of his injuries. Three police officers were also killed in the attack, President Bernardo Arevalo later announced.
Authorities did not identify who was responsible, but the attack occurred amid heightened concerns over the influence of organized crime. Washington this week designated several crime groups operating in Zacapa as terrorist organizations and has accused them of ties to Mexican drug trafficking cartels.
“The Government of Guatemala remains committed to protecting the lives, safety, and peace of Guatemalan families,” the government said in a statement, adding the state of emergency aimed to protect the local population.
(Reporting by Sofia Menchu in Guatemala City; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by Jamie Freed)
