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Clashes successful Guatemala's predominantly Indigenous municipality of Nahuala person near 13 radical dead, the politician told AFP on Sunday (December 14, 2025), blaming the service successful portion for the incident.
Tensions person flared successful caller days successful the country — astir 150 kilometres (93 miles) westbound of the capital, Guatemala City — prompting President Bernardo Arevalo connected Sunday to state a peculiar authorities of emergency.
Nahuala and the neighbouring Maya assemblage of Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan person been embroiled successful a century-long borderline dispute, which has near respective dormant successful caller years.
Arevalo claims that organised transgression groups are stoking unit successful the portion successful a bid to punctual the Army's withdrawal.
"Thirteen radical were brutally killed successful an ambush carried retired by the Guatemalan service and radical from Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan," Nahuala politician Manuel Garchaj told AFP by phone.
Mr. Guarchaj said the radical killed were betwixt 14 and 70 years aged and were attacked portion moving astatine a section quarry.
"We're not making thing up here. I'm lone speaking the truth," Mr. Guarchaj said successful the telephone call, during which helium work the names and ages of the victims.
Two days of mourning person been declared successful Nahuala, wherever burials were already underway Sunday.
Earlier, Arevalo announced astatine a property league that helium was declaring a 15-day "state of prevention" successful the Solola section — wherever the 2 communities are located.
The bid allows the regularisation of definite rights successful the area, specified arsenic the state of assembly and demonstration.
"We are astatine a captious infinitesimal for the Solola section and for information successful the nation," Arevalo said.
The "criminal groups" person a wide objective, "to instrumentality power of the territory truthful they tin run freely and proceed extorting and carrying retired amerciable activities," helium said.
He accused the unspecified organized transgression groups of "maliciously taking vantage of a assemblage conflict."
Arevalo said that earlier successful the week, transgression groups attacked a subject outpost for much than 10 hours with high-caliber weapons, injuring seven.
"In this lawsuit determination was nary clash betwixt the communities, it was an intentional onslaught connected the subject outpost," helium said.
The "state of prevention" was intended to dismantle the transgression groups, helium said.
In a abstracted confrontation connected Thursday, 4 soldiers were wounded successful an speech of gunfire betwixt the 2 communities, whose borderline quality includes an country of wood and h2o reserves.
Authorities person declared a authorities of siege earlier successful the persistent conflict, contempt efforts to beforehand dialogue.
In December 2021, 13 radical were killed successful 1 of the bloodiest clashes recorded, including 3 children and a constabulary officer.
