Clashes in Guatemala’s indigenous town leave 13 dead

Clashes in the predominantly Indigenous town of Nahuala in western Guatemala have left 13 people dead, the town’s mayor said on December 14, partially blaming the army for the incident.

Tensions have escalated in recent days in the area, about 150 kilometres west of Guatemala City, prompting President Bernardo Arevalo to declare a special state of emergency. Nahuala and the neighbouring Maya community of Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan have been locked in a century-long border dispute that has claimed multiple lives in recent years, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

Nahuala Mayor Manuel Garchaj told AFP that the victims were killed in an ambush while working at a local quarry.

“Thirteen people were brutally killed in an ambush carried out by the Guatemalan army and people from Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan,” Garchaj said by phone.

He said the victims were aged between 14 and 70 years old.

“We’re not making anything up here. I’m only speaking the truth,” Garchaj said, adding that he read out the names and ages of those killed during the call.

Two days of mourning have been declared in Nahuala, where burials were already underway on December 14.

Earlier, President Arevalo announced at a press conference that he was declaring a 15-day "state of prevention" in the Solola department, where both communities are located. The measure allows authorities to restrict certain rights, including freedom of assembly and demonstration.

Arevalo accused organised crime groups of exploiting the long-running community conflict in order to destabilise the region and force the withdrawal of the army.

By Sabina Mammadli