MEXICO CITY, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo has declared a nationwide state of siege for 30 days following a wave of coordinated attacks against the country's National Civil Police, which left at least seven officers dead, authorities said Sunday.
The emergency measure seeks to strengthen state action against criminal gangs and guarantee public security, Arevalo said, after violence erupted in connection with prison riots in which gang members took 46 people hostage at three detention centers. ■