Guatemala Bolsters Border Security Following Mexican Military Operation

Washington (ANTARA) - Guatemala’s Ministry of National Defence has said the government has increased patrols along its border with Mexico amid escalating violence following a military operation that killed a boss of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

“On 22 February 2026, amid reports of the alleged death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias ‘El Mencho,’ the Guatemalan Army, within the framework of Operation Fire Belt, intensified operations (monitoring, control, patrols, vigilance, presence, and security) in strategic sectors of the Guatemala-Mexico border,” the ministry said via X on Sunday.

However, the Guatemalan military emphasised that it maintains communication channels and coordination with Mexico’s Secretariat of National Defence.

Earlier on Sunday, Mexico’s Ministry of Defence announced an operation to capture El Mencho, who subsequently died from injuries sustained whilst being transported to Mexico City.

Following his death, the CJNG launched a wave of violence across several states, erecting road blockades, setting vehicles ablaze, and attacking security forces in dozens of cities and administrative regions.