President Alejandro Giamatti reported on Monday that he had requested approval of a state of siege for Santa Catarina, Extoacan and Nahuala, to prevent new violent incidents.

Meanwhile, dozens of Santa Catarina Extoacan residents gathered on Monday at the 171st kilometer of the Inter-American Route to express their rejection of the massacre and the authorities’ demand.

The conflict between the two communities is due to the fact that they share local water sources and roads that both claim to be their own.

According to the local press, Nahuala and Santa Catarina Extoacan are scenes of constant confrontations between residents with firearms, machetes or mobs.

On Sunday, Guatemala’s Human Rights Ombudsman, Jordan Rodas, described the situation in indigenous communities as “grave”.

Rodas confirmed that the victims of the massacre, after being ambushed and killed, “burned in the truck they were driving, and the children were dissected with machetes.”

Despite negotiations encouraged by the various governments, the dispute over land boundaries between the two cities of Solola was not resolved.

You can now receive notifications from BBC Mundo. Download and activate the new version of our app so you don’t miss our best content.