Mexican president blames the US for deaths in Sinaloa as cartel violence increases
- In Reports
- 05:02 PM, Sep 20, 2024
- Myind Staff
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Thursday blamed the United States for the recent surge of cartel violence in the northern state of Sinaloa, where at least 30 people had been killed in the last week. After two Sinaloa cartel leaders were arrested in the United States in late July, rival groups within the cartel started fighting in Culiacan, the state capital. Armed groups have been shooting at each other and security forces, apparently fighting for power.
Meanwhile, more dead bodies were found around the city. When asked whether the United States government was "jointly responsible" for the violence in Sinaloa, the president responded, "Yes, of course... for having carried out this operation," during his morning briefing.
A recent increase in cartel violence was anticipated after Joaquín Guzmán López, the son of former Sinaloa cartel leader “El Chapo,” arrived near El Paso, Texas, on July 25 in a small plane along with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. Zambada was the senior member and solitary head of the cartel. In a letter sent by his attorney after his arrest, he claimed that the younger Guzmán had kidnapped him and forced him to travel to the United States against his will. On Thursday afternoon, the military carried out an operation in northern Culiacan, with soldiers and helicopters in the area.
In his morning news briefing, López Obrador stated that Zambada's capture by American authorities was "totally illegal," adding that "agents from the Department of Justice were waiting for Mr. Mayo."
“If we are now facing instability and clashes in Sinaloa, it is because they (the American government) made that decision,” he stated. He added that there “cannot be a cooperative relationship if they take unilateral decisions” like this. Mexican prosecutors have said they were considering bringing treason charges against those involved in the plan to nab Zambada. This decision was echoed by President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, who said later in the day that “we can never accept that there is no communication or collaboration.”
Tensions between the United States and Mexico have escalated recently. The Mexican president announced last month that he was placing diplomatic ties with the United States and Canada "on pause" in response to the ambassadors' criticism of his divisive proposal to restructure Mexico's judicial system by making all judges run for office. However, the arrest of Zambada has intensified opposition to López Obrador, who has refused to take on cartels during his administration. He has made false statements in the past about cartels respecting Mexican citizens and mostly fighting among themselves.
The president, who will leave office at the end of the month, promised that his plan would reduce cartel violence, but clashes are still a big problem in Mexico. Cartels are using more and more tactics, like roadside bombs, trenches, homemade armoured vehicles, and drones to drop bombs.
In a public statement last week, López Obrador urged the rival groups in Sinaloa to behave "responsibly," adding that he thought the cartels would heed his advice. However, the carnage has only gotten worse.
Image source: AP News
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