The Zapatista was ambushed when he was returning to his community, in the municipality of Aldama. As residents, municipal authorities, National Guard and state police attempted to rescue the body, they were also attacked by armed civilians.
Text and photos: Ángeles Mariscal / Chiapas Paralelo
CHIAPAS – Domingo was returning from San Andres Larrainzar, with his family and other members of the support base communities of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), when he was ambushed by members of the armed group that operates in Santa Martha, in the municipality of Chenalho.
The armed group fired on them from the area adjacent to the community of Xuxch’en, where Domingo is from, a town in the municipality of Aldama, where the inhabitants have been harassed for several years in order to dispossess them of 60 hectares of land that the inhabitants of Santa Martha claim by force of arms.
The shooting towards the communities of Aldama intensified since last August. On the night of September 15, when they were returning to their village, Domingo and his family, who were traveling in a pickup truck, were ambushed.
“He was waiting for the intense fire to cease from the attack and stayed by the Tabac Aldama bridge. A shot hit the truck, the compañero was thrown to one side but the river was swollen and swept him away,” reported his companions.
They had to wait for the shots to stop and for daylight to help them to look for Domingo’s body. They found him hours later, on a slope of the river. He had been shot in the face with a large caliber weapon.
That day, while the body of the EZLN member was taken to his community, the attacks against different towns in Aldama continued.
“The body was taken to the home of the deceased in the community of Xuxch’en, municipality of Aldama. Upon leaving the highway that leads to the community of Xuxchen, being present the police corporations (National Guard and state police), we were attacked with multiple gunshots of different calibers from the tok’oy parapet of the Santa Martha sector. Fortunately no one was injured”, explained the municipal president of Aldama, Adolfo Victorio López Gómez.
Attacks against other communities in the municipality also continued.
These are the reports:
“06;56 pm high caliber shots fired by armed groups at the point of attack from the Santa Martha Chenalho Volcano in the direction of the community of Tabac Aldama.”
“06:59 pm high caliber gunfire at the point of attack of Oxch’om Yoc Ventana Chenalho in the direction towards the community of Xuxch’en Aldama.
“7:01 pm high caliber shots fired by armed groups at the point of attack of the Tok’oy Saclum Chenalho,in the direction of the community of Coco’ Aldama. The shots are directed towards the houses, both in Xuxch’en, Coco’ and Tabac Aldama from the different points of attack, on this day 16/09/2021.”
The armed groups from Santa Martha, Chenalhó continued firing shots at his village, as vigil was held over Domingo’s body in his home.
“The armed attack intensifies towards the community of Xuxch’, in Aldama, from in the points of attack were Oxch’om and Slumka’ Yoc Ventana, and Saclum Chenalho at 07:21 pm on this day 16/09/2021.”
This article was originally published in Chiapas Paralelo on September 17th, 2021. https://www.chiapasparalelo.com/noticias/chiapas/2021/09/grupo-armado-de-chenalho-asesina-a-integrante-del-ezln/ This English interpretation has been re-published by Schools for Chiapas.