Mexico’s cartel violence haunts civilians as the June 2 election approaches
7 months, 1 week ago

Mexico’s cartel violence haunts civilians as the June 2 election approaches

Associated Press  

HUITZILAC, Mexico — Tailed by trucks of heavily armed soldiers, four caskets floated on a sea of hundreds of mourners. “When my phone rings, I’m terrified that it’ll be the school saying something has happened to my kids.” Cartel violence is nothing new to Mexico, but bloodshed in the country has spiked ahead of the election, with April marking the most lethal month this year, government data shows. Even before the election, it was clear that outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who had made pledges to ease cartel warfare, had done little more than stabilize Mexico’s high level of violence. “What would happen if there’s a shootout and our kids are there?” On Monday night, Anahi heard gunshots echo from town and saw armed men moving outside her window. “With the violence, I don’t know why my government, my president, don’t come down with a heavier hand against these people,” she said, as she and her children sat trapped in their home.

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History of this topic

Car bombs. Massacres. A cartel turf war. Mexico’s new president confronts a wave of violence
1 month, 1 week ago

Car bombs. Massacres. A cartel turf war. Mexico’s new president confronts a wave of violence

LA Times  

Mourners attend a Mass on Oct. 20 alongside the coffin of Roman Catholic priest Marcelo Perez, who was killed in San Cristobal de las Casas in Mexico’s Chiapas state. As a candidate, Sheinbaum vowed to continue the strategy of her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who expanded the military’s reach but sought to avoid direct confrontations with cartels, and insisted …

Mexico appears to abandon its ‘hugs, not bullets’ strategy as bloodshed plagues the country
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Mexico appears to abandon its ‘hugs, not bullets’ strategy as bloodshed plagues the country

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — For the last six years, Mexico bragged about its oft-questioned “hugs, not bullets” strategy, in which its leaders avoided confrontations with drug cartels that were gradually taking control of large parts of the country. Sheinbaum has studiously avoided using the “hugs, not bullets” slogan popularized by her predecessor and mentor, former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who …

Mexican President blames the U.S. for bloodshed in Sinaloa as cartel violence surges
3 months ago

Mexican President blames the U.S. for bloodshed in Sinaloa as cartel violence surges

The Hindu  

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador blamed the United States in part on Thursday for the surge in cartel violence terrorizing the northern state of Sinaloa which has left at least 30 people dead in the past week. for having carried out this operation.” The recent surge in cartel warfare had been expected after Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of …

Mexico’s president asks Sinaloa cartel to act ‘responsibly’ as violence escalates in the north
3 months, 1 week ago

Mexico’s president asks Sinaloa cartel to act ‘responsibly’ as violence escalates in the north

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Friday asked the warring factions of the Sinaloa cartel to act “responsibly” so no one else gets killed, after a week of escalating violence nearly paralyzed the Sinaloa state capital, Culiacan. Asked by a journalist if he trusted that the cartels would heed his call, López Obrador answered bluntly: “The …

Mexico is in turmoil over a radical constitutional change pushed by the president during his last days in office
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Mexico is in turmoil over a radical constitutional change pushed by the president during his last days in office

LA Times  

Three weeks from the end of his presidency, Andrés Manuel López Obrador could be taking victory laps. “We saw this coming a long time ago,” said Carlos Bravo Regidor, a political analyst, citing López Obrador’s attacks on other independent institutions, including a failed effort to gut the National Electoral Institute. López Obrador harshly criticized the country’s judges, who he alleges …

Are Mexican drug cartels as powerful as people think?
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Are Mexican drug cartels as powerful as people think?

LA Times  

Oswaldo Zavala is a Mexican academic and writer whose provocatively titled 2022 book — “Drug Cartels Do Not Exist: Narcotrafficking in U.S. and Mexican Culture” — argues for a bold reframing of how to think about organized crime in his country. After the arrest last month of two leaders of the Sinaloa drug trafficking organization, The Times’ Kate Linthicum spoke …

The U.S. and Mexico are sparring over López Obrador’s radical plan to overhaul the judiciary
4 months ago

The U.S. and Mexico are sparring over López Obrador’s radical plan to overhaul the judiciary

LA Times  

Security personnel stand at a federal court as court workers gather to strike over reforms that would make all judges stand for election in Mexico. Ambassador Ken Salazar, who has had a friendly relationship with López Obrador, said in unusually terse criticism Thursday that the overhaul would “threaten the historic trade relationship we have built, which relies on investors’ confidence …

A journalist tells Mexico’s president his supporters attacked her; he reacts with scorn, disinterest
4 months, 1 week ago

A journalist tells Mexico’s president his supporters attacked her; he reacts with scorn, disinterest

New Indian Express  

MEXICO CITY: A reporter told Mexico’s president Tuesday that his supporters had harassed her when she was trying to cover an event in June, and complained that his polarization of Mexican society has put journalists at risk. When she asked him what he would do about it, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reacted with a mix of scorn and disinterest, …

Mexico’s president downplays cartel violence that drove nearly 600 Mexicans into Guatemala
4 months, 4 weeks ago

Mexico’s president downplays cartel violence that drove nearly 600 Mexicans into Guatemala

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador thanked Guatemala on Friday for helping the nearly 600 Mexicans who have crossed into Guatemala to escape drug cartel violence, but also minimized the violence that drove them there. In his first comments since the refugees fled earlier this week, the president went on to add that Mexico is a large …

Mexico’s drug cartels and gangs appear to be playing a wider role in Sunday’s elections than before
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Mexico’s drug cartels and gangs appear to be playing a wider role in Sunday’s elections than before

Associated Press  

COTIJA, Mexico — Mexico’s drug cartels and gangs appear to be playing a wider role than before in Sunday’s elections that will determine the presidency, nine governorships and about 19,000 mayorships and other local posts. The country’s powerful drug cartels have long staged targeted assassinations of mayoral and other local candidates who threaten their control. On Wednesday, the last official …

Mexico elections: all you need to know
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Mexico elections: all you need to know

NPR  

Mexico elections: all you need to know toggle caption Eduardo Verdugo/AP MEXICO CITY — During one of the presidential debates, Claudia Sheinbaum’s “empathy” was a topic of debate. If people have employment, that’s enough.” Carlos Bravo Regidor, a political analyst in Mexico City, said the political candidates can’t be broken down into ideologies, like Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. …

Violence clouds the last day of campaigning for Mexico’s election
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Violence clouds the last day of campaigning for Mexico’s election

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — Mexico held the last day of campaigning Wednesday before Sunday’s nationwide election, but the closing rallies were darkened by attacks on candidates and the country’s persistently high homicide rate. Opposition candidate Xóchitl Gálvez started her last campaign rallies early Wednesday on the outskirts of Mexico City, and she focused her ire on President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s …

A mayoral candidate and 5 other people killed in gunfire at a campaign rally in southern Mexico
7 months, 1 week ago

A mayoral candidate and 5 other people killed in gunfire at a campaign rally in southern Mexico

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — A mayoral candidate and five other people were killed when gunmen opened fire at a campaign rally in the violence-wracked southern Mexico state of Chiapas, officials said. State prosecutors said a young girl was among the six people killed in the gunfire late Thursday, along with mayoral candidate Lucero López Maza. The church statement said the heavily …

Mexico's cartel violence haunts civilians in the lead-up to June elections
7 months, 1 week ago

Mexico's cartel violence haunts civilians in the lead-up to June elections

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “When my phone rings, I’m terrified that it’ll be …

Mexican president claims that criminal groups are ‘respectful’ and ‘respect the citizenry’
7 months, 4 weeks ago

Mexican president claims that criminal groups are ‘respectful’ and ‘respect the citizenry’

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s president said Thursday that the country’s violent criminal gangs and drug cartels are essentially “respectful people” who “respect the citizenry” and mostly just kill each other. A reporter asked López Obrador whether drug cartels behaved well when he visited the township of Badiraguato, Sinaloa — the hometown of imprisoned drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, which …

Mexico debates a rising political party's 'New Deal' for the poor
8 months, 3 weeks ago

Mexico debates a rising political party's 'New Deal' for the poor

Al Jazeera  

Of that litany of grievances, the country’s enduring crime woes are perhaps the most difficult to refute. The crime rate here remains stubbornly high despite Lopez Obrador’s criminal justice reforms that promote “hugs, not bullets”. In 2022, Lopez Obrador proposed a constitutional amendment to restructure the nonpartisan agency that oversees elections and is largely credited with helping the country free …

Mexico’s president says he won’t fight drug cartels on US orders, calls it a ‘Mexico First’ policy
9 months ago

Mexico’s president says he won’t fight drug cartels on US orders, calls it a ‘Mexico First’ policy

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s president said Friday he won’t fight Mexican drug cartels on U.S. orders, in the clearest explanation yet of his refusal to confront the gangs. “For decades, past administrations in Mexico have thought the war against drug cartels was basically a U.S. problem,” said security analyst David Saucedo, noting that Mexican domestic drug consumption, while growing — …

Organized crime attacks on local candidates raise fears Mexico may face its bloodiest elections ever
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Organized crime attacks on local candidates raise fears Mexico may face its bloodiest elections ever

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — As Mexico prepares for the largest elections in its history, organized crime is once again preying on local candidates across swaths of the country where cartels dominate, raising concerns among experts that these could be Mexico’s bloodiest elections ever. “I don’t think that’s the way to get closer to the people or promote citizen participation.” Thousands of …

Mexico’s presidential candidates promise security or continuity as campaigns officially begin
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Mexico’s presidential candidates promise security or continuity as campaigns officially begin

Associated Press  

IRAPUATO, Mexico — Tens of thousands of people packed a stadium in a violence-torn western Mexico state while even more did so in Mexico City’s central square Friday as the country’s leading presidential candidates officially kicked off their campaigns with promises of greater security and support for the outgoing president’s social programs. Former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, President Andrés …

Mexican president calls on civilians not to support drug cartels even if they pressure them
11 months ago

Mexican president calls on civilians not to support drug cartels even if they pressure them

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s president called on citizens Friday not to support drug cartels, or oppose the installation of National Guard barracks, after a number of videos surfaced showing residents cheering convoys of cartel gunmen. Several videos have been posted on social media in recent weeks of villages in southern Chiapas, showing farmers lining roadways near the border with Guatemala …

Mass shootings in Mexico become an issue in the presidential race
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Mass shootings in Mexico become an issue in the presidential race

LA Times  

Men carry the coffin of one of the 11 people killed by gunmen at a Christmas party during his funeral in Salvatierra, Mexico, on Dec. 19, 2023. “The gunmen just went in and began shooting,” said Luis Almanza, whose son was among the revelers smashing a piñata and dancing to a live norteño band inside a former hacienda. “They wanted …

Bloody clash in Mexican hamlet kills 4 villagers and 10 gunmen, including drug cartel’s leader
1 year ago

Bloody clash in Mexican hamlet kills 4 villagers and 10 gunmen, including drug cartel’s leader

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — A clash between gunmen from a notoriously violent drug cartel and residents of a small farming community in central Mexico left 14 people dead, including the cartel’s leader, authorities said Saturday. Officials said 10 of the dead were members of the violent Familia Michoacana drug cartel, including its leader, Rigoberto de la Sancha Santillán, known as “El …

Mexican president’s state of the union address suggests crime is not a problem
1 year, 3 months ago

Mexican president’s state of the union address suggests crime is not a problem

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s president on Friday delivered his second-to-last state of the union, and perhaps what was most striking of his roughly 1 1/2 hour speech was what he didn’t talk about: drugs, crime or drug cartels. Experts and residents agree that wide swaths of Mexico are under the de-facto control of drug cartels, but President Andrés Manuel López …

Mexico says protest was organized by a drug gang and a cartel car bomb killed National Guard officer
1 year, 5 months ago

Mexico says protest was organized by a drug gang and a cartel car bomb killed National Guard officer

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — Mexican security officials claimed Tuesday that a demonstration that blocked the main highway to the resort of Acapulco and led to the abduction of government officials was organized by a drug gang. They also said that a National Guard officer had been killed by a car bomb set by a cartel in an earlier attack elsewhere. Also …

Activist appears targeted at Mexican president’s press brief
1 year, 9 months ago

Activist appears targeted at Mexican president’s press brief

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — A human rights activist in Mexico’s dangerous northern border city of Nuevo Laredo said Wednesday that he suspects the Mexican army — and the government in general — are behind claims linking him to a drug cartel, which could put his life at risk. Carlos Dominguez, who runs a web site called Nacion 14, was the first …

Why the arrest of cartel kingpins like Ovidio Guzman fuels drug violence in Mexico
1 year, 11 months ago

Why the arrest of cartel kingpins like Ovidio Guzman fuels drug violence in Mexico

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Thursday’s arrest of Ovidio “El Raton” Guzman, son …

2022 is deadliest year on record for Mexican journalists
2 years ago

2022 is deadliest year on record for Mexican journalists

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — The deadliest year in at least three decades for Mexican journalists and media workers is nearing a close, with 15 slayings — a perilous situation underlined by a brazen near-miss attack this week on one of the country’s most prominent journalists. “We started gathering data on homicides of journalists in 1992, and it’s been both the highest …

Bar shooting leaves 9 dead in central Mexican state, gang war suspected
2 years, 1 month ago

Bar shooting leaves 9 dead in central Mexican state, gang war suspected

India Today  

A shooting left nine dead and two wounded at a bar in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, which has increasingly suffered from cartel violence, local authorities said Thursday. An armed group arrived at the bar around 9 pm Wednesday in the town of Apaseo el Alto, outside of Celaya, and opened fire on those inside, authorities said in a …

Mexico's week of drug violence shakes administration
2 years, 4 months ago

Mexico's week of drug violence shakes administration

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “What I do know is …

Mexico cartel violence leaves several dead and property destroyed after week of fighting
2 years, 4 months ago

Mexico cartel violence leaves several dead and property destroyed after week of fighting

ABC  

Two Mexican cities along the border with the United States are on high alert after a week of cartel violence across the country. Key points: Dozens of cars have been hijacked and burned during a week of cartel violence Tijuana's mayor has urged cartels to keep the violence between themselves and not innocent civilians Widespread violence started earlier in the …

What’s behind the spike in journalist murders in Mexico?
2 years, 10 months ago

What’s behind the spike in journalist murders in Mexico?

Al Jazeera  

Four journalists were killed in January, highlighting a dangerous culture of impunity in the country, rights groups say. About 99 percent of crimes against journalists are not prosecuted, Ruiz said, “Anyone can decide, ‘I’m just going to silence this journalist, because there are not going to be consequences.’” Hootsen visited Tijuana last week after Martinez and Lopez were killed. Criminal …

Infighting in Gulf cartel blamed for Mexico border killings
3 years, 6 months ago

Infighting in Gulf cartel blamed for Mexico border killings

Associated Press  

CIUDAD VICTORIA — The top prosecutor in Mexico’s border state of Tamaulipas said Tuesday that infighting between rival factions of the Gulf drug cartel was the motive behind a weekend shooting that killed 19 people, 15 of whom appeared to be innocent bystanders. State prosecutor Irving Barrios told local station Radio Formula that apparently two gangs that operate just outside …

Mexico president to investigate border shooting of innocents
3 years, 6 months ago

Mexico president to investigate border shooting of innocents

Associated Press  

CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico — Mexico’s president vowed to investigate the border shootings that left 19 people dead over the weekend, even as the latest homicide figures showed a rebound in killings nationwide. The government of Tamaulipas state, where Reynosa is located, said in a statement there was evidence the killings involved “organized crime,” which in Mexico is generally used to …

Violence eclipses upcoming midterm elections in Mexico
3 years, 6 months ago

Violence eclipses upcoming midterm elections in Mexico

Al Jazeera  

At least 89 politicians, including 35 candidates, have been killed during the electoral campaign, security consultancy says. “What will mark this election is the violence that arose mainly against opponents of state governments or the municipalities,” Etellekt Director Ruben Salazar told Al Jazeera. In sum, what we are witnessing here is political violence, where being part of the opposition implies …

In Mexico, cartels are hunting down police at their homes
3 years, 6 months ago

In Mexico, cartels are hunting down police at their homes

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — The notoriously violent Jalisco cartel has responded to Mexico’s “hugs, not bullets” policy with a policy of its own: The cartel kidnapped several members of an elite police force in the state of Guanajuato, tortured them to obtain names and addresses of fellow officers and is now hunting down and killing police at their homes, on their …

Mexico’s bloodiest election: Drug cartels kill almost 100 in run up to June vote
3 years, 6 months ago

Mexico’s bloodiest election: Drug cartels kill almost 100 in run up to June vote

The Independent  

Parliamentary elections in Mexico on 6 June are among the most hotly contested in years, with an opposition coalition formed to fight the incumbent MORENA government of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Earlier this month, Zudikey Rodriguez, an Olympian-turned-candidate running for mayor of the Valle de Bravo district, some two hours west of Mexico City, was abducted by cartel members, …

Mayoral candidate killed in Mexico; 34 dead so far
3 years, 6 months ago

Mayoral candidate killed in Mexico; 34 dead so far

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — Yet another mayoral candidate in north-central Mexico has been killed, bringing to 34 the number of candidates murdered nationwide ahead of the June 6 elections. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Wednesday the killing was “without doubt” the work of organized crime gangs. Experts say drug gangs want to place sympathetic candidates in town halls and city …

Mexico’s president turns attention to cartel-plagued states
4 years, 5 months ago

Mexico’s president turns attention to cartel-plagued states

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is traveling to three of Mexico’s most violent states this week to counter what many call a “hands-off” strategy toward drug cartels that has exacerbated tensions with state governors. Together with Mexico’s rising death toll from the coronavirus pandemic, the violence could bring an end to a honeymoon for the president who …

Mexico ‘more violent’ and ‘worse’ two years after AMLO election
4 years, 5 months ago

Mexico ‘more violent’ and ‘worse’ two years after AMLO election

Al Jazeera  

Lopez Obrador’s administration has been beset by COVID-19, worsening crime, and pressure from the Trump administration. Thousands of triumphant supporters crowded the main square of the Mexican capital two years ago to celebrate the resounding victory of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador – who captured more than half the votes in the presidential election, pledging to improve the lives of the …

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