On October 4th, the Senate of the Mexican Republic voted unanimously to approve the extension of the Mexican Armed forces in duties of public security. Victor M. Quintana S. cites historical reasons for well-founded opposition to the militarization begun under AMLO.
In the Altos of Chiapas, a crisis continues to unfold – an ongoing saga of a dispute between the municipalities of Aldama and Chenalhó. The deepening of paramilitary influence and power in the region, and particularly, in Santa Marta, Chenalhó, has ravaged the communities of Aldama continuously for over 3 years, aggressions which have left thousands displaced, and several dead or wounded. In the past week, these forces have now turned on families on their home turf of Chenalhó, burning homes and killing several. As the families flee the violence, the conditions of vulnerability remind many of the conditions that …
Chenalhó, Chiapas, the Struggle for Land by Way of Weapons READ MORE »
From Frayba we have pointed out the responsibility of the Mexican State in the negligence and continued impunity with respect to the actions of armed groups in the region of the Highlands of Chiapas that threaten, murder and displace the inhabitants, which constitutes a continuous and manifold violation of human rights…
When discussing the increased violence in Chiapas, it’s helpful to remember that there is a neoliberal effort underway to bring indigenous peoples in southeast Mexico into the capitalist marketplace. The vehicle for bringing this about is a massive infrastructure development plan, originally named the Plan Puebla-Panama and then re-named the Mesoamerica Project.
Chiapas has witnessed a huge growth in the presence of organized crime in recent years, with competing cartels battling for control of routes to traffic drugs and migrants. Collusion between the Armed Forces, organized crime and paramilitary groups is by no means a new phenomenon in Chiapas. This situation is further complicated by the presence of the National Guard, whose control was recently passed to the Secretariat of Defense. The scenario takes on an even more sinister character in the light of recent citizen complaints to President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador claiming that the Sinaloa Cartel if being protected by the same bodies that are supposed to be fighting organized crime.
