( CNN ) -- Analysts say the slaying of one of Latin America 's best-known folk singers over the weekend shines a spotlight on problems with deep roots in Guatemala : violence , impunity and the pervasive presence of organized crime . `` It shows how far these groups have infiltrated . ... It 's a very large blow first of all to the country 's image , and secondly to its government , '' said Miguel Castillo , a professor of political science at the University of Francisco Marroquin in Guatemala City . Gunmen ambushed Argentinian folk singer Facundo Cabral when he was on his way to the airport in the nation 's capital Saturday , authorities said . As investigators continued searching for suspects Monday , the high-profile shooting drew increasing attention throughout Latin America , where Cabral gained fame as a protest singer who pushed for peace . `` The Guatemalan people are quite shocked and outraged , and we have to face the situation like others we have faced in a country that is fighting to get out of this state of violence that has hit us so hard , '' Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom said in an interview Monday with Mexico 's MVS Radio . Corruption and violence are high in Guatemala , according to the United Nations , which created a committee in 2006 to investigate those issues there . More than 200,000 people have been killed in Guatemala since 1970 , mostly as a result of organized crime , drug-trade violence and a 36-year civil war that ended in 1996 . Violence in Guatemala drew international attention in May after investigators found the bodies of 27 dismembered and decapitated workers on a farm in a northern border province -- brutal evidence of what officials and analysts said is a dramatic spike in violence across the region as Mexican drug cartels expand their reach . Colom Monday attributed Cabral 's killing to `` organized crime , '' telling MVS Radio that evidence indicated the Nicaraguan businessman driving him to the airport was the attackers ' intended target . But analyst Samuel Logan cautioned that in the run-up to Guatemala 's September elections , government officials may have different motives in describing the situation . `` To say that this famous Argentine musician was n't a target lends credence to the idea that Guatemala 's a safe place to travel for musicians or just in general , '' said Logan , the managing director of Southern Pulse , an online information network focused on Latin America . It 's possible that hit-men targeted Cabral , Logan said . `` Groups like Los Zetas have killed people simply for the songs that they sung publicly . My question was , what did he sing ? What was his playlist ? ... It could have been just that simple , '' he added . In recent weeks , Guatemalan officials have touted arrests of members of Los Zetas as a sign that they 're cracking down on crime . Cabral 's killing is one of many indications that the government 's efforts have seen limited results , Castillo said . `` The ( criminal ) organizations ' structures have not been damaged . Yes , there are a few accomplishments , but the long-term impact is n't so large , '' he said . Henry Brands , an assistant professor of public policy at Duke University who published an analysis of violence and politics in the Central American country last year , said Cabral 's killing is `` very striking . '' `` It makes people sit up and take note , but the fact is that this is really not a new phenomenon in Guatemala , '' he said . Drug-fueled organized crime has had a strong presence in the Central American country for decades , he said . `` This is probably a depressingly familiar story for most Guatemalans . ... The single dominant theme of Guatemalan politics is citizen insecurity , '' Brands said . `` The basic problem in Guatemala is that the crime is so deeply rooted in the social and institutional structures of the country that it 's going to take a sort of exorcism to solve the problem . '' Journalist Patzy Vasquez contributed to this report .
Gunmen ambushed Facundo Cabral in Guatemala City on Saturday . Authorities blame organized crime as investigators search for suspects . `` It 's a very large blow ... to the country 's image , '' one analyst says . Corruption and violence are high in Guatemala , according to the United Nations .