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Causes of violence in Guatemala. A sick system of impunity
January 19, 2026, by Prensa Comunitaria
https://prensacomunitaria.org/2026/01/causas-de-la-violencia-un-sistema-enfermo-de-impunidad/
The killings of nine National Civil Police officers, two women and seven men, over the weekend [January 17-18] in coordinated attacks in different areas of the capital, and the riots in three prisons, are a demonstration of impunity and a message from the powers that operate clandestinely and from the shadows, and which have sometimes done so under the protection of the State.
This violence, in which society as a whole is attacked, shows again that the entire system is riddled with impunity. This impunity has evolved over decades and has become increasingly sophisticated in a context of State capture. It is a form of large-scale economic corruption in which private actors influence laws, regulations and public policies in favor of their interests at the expense of the general welfare. When necessary, they resort to violence as part of their modus operandi.
Here we present five points outlining some of the main causes of violence perpetrated by clandestine criminal networks.
Current violence
The violence this weekend [January 17-18] focused on targeting government security forces, with the intention of gaining an advantage in the current political race which will determine this year the appointment of new leaders of five key State institutions. The motive is to weaken the government and create a climate of perceived insecurity, an environment that various conservative political and economic sectors have exploited to call for the resignation of President Arévalo.
Display of power and impunity
The violence we saw in the attacks that killed nine police officers is indicative of a highly organized underground power structure capable of carrying out such attacks. This coordination and these attacks are only possible because of the vast economic resources these groups have at their disposal, resources that guarantee them impunity.
The origin of violence
These forms of violence have their roots in Guatemalan history. It began with the counterinsurgency military structures [in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s] that grew out of illegal clandestine organizations serving private interests. These organizations, familiar with the workings of the State, co-opted State institutions for their own benefits. They are a hidden power structure fed by money and political influence generated by networks of corruption, politics, economics, and organized crime.
Illegal Security Forces and Clandestine Security Apparatuses (CIACS)
An example of these forces was the 2007 assassination of three Salvadoran deputies to Parlacen [Central American Parliament]. According to a report by the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), the assassination of the three was carried out by a criminal network composed of State security agents, organized crime figures, politicians, and high-ranking government officials.
State capture
What came to light on February 19, 2007, was a structure of Illegal Security Forces and Clandestine Apparatuses (CIACS) operating in this country, which led the government of Óscar Berger, together with civil society organizations, to recognize the need for an international institution to investigate the CIACS.
Thus, in 2007, Congress ratified an agreement between the United Nations and the Guatemalan government, establishing the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), which came into effect on September 4, 2007. From then until the departure of CICIG in 2019, we witnessed legal investigations that revealed the widespread co-optation of State institutions, such as the justice system, the University of San Carlos, etc.
Now in 2026, with the election of new leaders for five key State institutions, the question is whether institutional corruption will continue or whether these institutions can be rebuilt from the ground up.
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