MEXICO CITY – At least 30 people have been killed in the past two weeks in Mexico's northern state of Sinaloa as two factions of the powerful Sinaloa cartel continue to clash, authorities said Tuesday.
Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said that two military personnel were among those killed in the fighting that started Sept. 9, despite the presence of more than 2,000 security personnel.
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The surge in violence had been expected after Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, landed near El Paso, Texas on July 25 in a small plane with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
Zambada was the cartel’s elder figure and reclusive leader. After his arrest, he said in a letter circulated by his lawyer that he had been abducted by the younger Guzmán and taken to the U.S. against his will.
Now there appears to be a struggle for power between the remaining sons of El Chapo, known locally as “the Chapitos,” and those loyal to Zambada.
The clashes in the state’s capital Culiacan are the latest example of the violence that continues to plague Mexico, where cartels employ increasingly sophisticated forms of warfare, including roadside bombs or IEDs, trenches, home-made armored vehicles and bomb-dropping drones.
Since the beginning of last week, Culiacan has been semi-paralyzed. Schools are empty, businesses are closed and there is almost no transportation due to people’s fear of being caught in the middle of a shootout.
Sandoval said that 2,200 members of the armed forces and the National Guard were sent to Sinaloa to reinforce security and they haven't ruled out further military presence.
On Monday, the regional army commander, Jesús Leana Ojeda, said the possibility of the situation calming down does not depend on them. “It depends on the antagonistic groups to stop confronting each other,” he said at a news briefing.
“We, on the contrary, are here to prevent them from having confrontations and the loss of human lives,” he added.
Although they have received reinforcements and military helicopters, Sinaloa's Gov. Rubén Rocha suspended schools last week and festivities around Mexican Independence Day over the weekend. Schools resumed classes Tuesday.
Outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Tuesday that the Armed Forces are protecting the population and ensuring that there are no clashes between criminal groups.
Throughout his presidency, López Obrador has favored a “hugs not bullets” strategy that seeks to avoid confrontation with cartels often causing tensions with the United States. He claims members are forced into criminality by a lack of opportunities, and his strategy offers job training programs for youths so they won’t become cartel gunmen.
President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum has said she will maintain her predecessor’s security policy. ___
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