At least 39 people have been killed in the war waged for over a week by two factions of the Sinaloa cartel following the capture of a major drug trafficker.
Subscribers only
For over a week, two factions of the Sinaloa cartel have been engaged in violent conflict in Culiacán, the capital city of Culiacán municipality, one of the 18 municipalities in Sinaloa state. Hundreds of heavily armed civilians have been patrolling the city streets and outskirts, where they have been engaged in fighting. Authorities have reported at least 39 people killed – including two soldiers – 37 forced disappearances and 13 clashes with the army. Highways have been blocked, trucks have been set on fire, dozens of cars have been stolen and hackers have taken over two local government websites in order to spread bellicose propaganda.
“People are very scared, shopping centers are empty, delivery services are suspended, schools are closed and public transport has barely started up again,” said Ismael Bohorquez, the director of Ríodoce, a regional weekly newspaper based in Culiacan. “There’s been an increase in clashes. The two groups are kidnapping a lot of people. There are a lot of people missing, but they are still testing each other, and we can expect fiercer battles in the future. For now, there hasn’t been a massive assault like in 2008.” Bohorquez was referring to the internecine war that broke out when the Sinaloa cartel split 16 years ago, resulting in over 5,000 deaths.
The recent surge in violence stems from the absence of Ismael Zambada García, also known as “El Mayo,” a key figure in the Sinaloa cartel who was captured by US authorities on July 25 under unclear circumstances. Zambada claimed in a letter released by his lawyers on August 6 that he was forcibly taken by Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of the notorious drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, and handed over to US authorities. Another account suggests that Zambada voluntarily surrendered to US authorities.
Taken by surprise by “El Mayo’s” arrest, the Mexican government deployed an additional contingent of 200 troops to Culiacán on July 28 in the hope of preventing a war between the branch of the organization run by “El Chapo’s” sons (nicknamed “Los Chapitos”) and the one now headed by “El Mayo’s” son over the remnants of the criminal empire that has been built over more than four decades.
Admission of powerlessness
Unfortunately, on Monday, September 9, the two rival groups and their allied factions launched hostilities that escalated in intensity. The governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, suspended schools in four towns, urged Culiacán residents to go out only when necessary, and canceled the public celebration of the “Cry of Dolores” on September 15, the eve of Mexico’s Independence Day. In a candid admission, the commander of the third military region stated on Monday that the violence in Sinaloa will only cease when the groups stop fighting each other.
You have 45.61% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.
Vous pouvez lire Le Monde sur un seul appareil à la fois
Ce message s’affichera sur l’autre appareil.
-
Parce qu’une autre personne (ou vous) est en train de lire Le Monde avec ce compte sur un autre appareil.
Vous ne pouvez lire Le Monde que sur un seul appareil à la fois (ordinateur, téléphone ou tablette).
-
Comment ne plus voir ce message ?
En cliquant sur « » et en vous assurant que vous êtes la seule personne à consulter Le Monde avec ce compte.
-
Que se passera-t-il si vous continuez à lire ici ?
Ce message s’affichera sur l’autre appareil. Ce dernier restera connecté avec ce compte.
-
Y a-t-il d’autres limites ?
Non. Vous pouvez vous connecter avec votre compte sur autant d’appareils que vous le souhaitez, mais en les utilisant à des moments différents.
-
Vous ignorez qui est l’autre personne ?
Nous vous conseillons de modifier votre mot de passe.
Lecture restreinte
Votre abonnement n’autorise pas la lecture de cet article
Pour plus d’informations, merci de contacter notre service commercial.
