a thread explaining the criminal violence in mexico. we need to raise awareness it is not being talked about on the tl. please RETWEET this so more people can educate themselves. there are +200 drug trafficking cells. 150,000 deaths
since 2006 due to organised criminal violence.

in the 1980s, mexico’s crime groups and drug traffickers became organized, assigning distinct regional areas of control for each group and establishing networks and trafficking routes.

but as production and distribution increased, the groups began fighting for territorial control and access to markets, leading to an increase in violence across mexico.

the mexican government officially declared war on criminal organizations in 2006, when former President Felipe Calderon launched an initiative to combat cartels using military force.

in 2012, President Enrique Peña Nieto revised the Calderon government’s strategy, shifting efforts away from violent exchanges and toward improving law enforcement capacity and supporting public safety.

after the Sinaloa Cartel’s Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was arrested in 2014, re-arrested in 2016, and finally extradited to the US in 2017, a power vacuum was created within the Sinaloa Cartel.

this resulted in an accompanying increase in violence between rival factions seeking new territory and influence.

despite an initial decrease in homicides following Peña Nieto’s reforms, mexico continued to struggle with corruption and crime-related violence.

by 2016, drug-related homicides had increased by 22%, with more than 20,000 killed, and in 2017 a mass grave containing the remains of more than 250 victims of crime-related violence was uncovered in Veracruz State.

since 2006, crime-related violence has resulted in an estimated 150,000 deaths.

then-presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) recognised that the use of military force has only increased the level of crime-related violence in Mexico and accusations that the military has committed human rights abuses and carried out extrajudicial killings.

AMLO promised on his campaign trail to revolutionize the fight against cartels and revert to a civilian-led police force.

in 2018, the number of drug-related homicides in mexico rose to 33,341, a 15% increase from the previous year (a record high). mexican cartels killed at least 130 candidates and politicians in the lead-up to Mexico’s 2018 presidential elections.

While on the campaign trail, then-candidate AMLO proposed several strategies to combat crime-related violence.

after winning the election and assuming office in december 2018, AMLO announced the creation of a new National Guard (a hybrid civilian police and military force) to fight cartels.

most recently (in june 2020), Mexico City police chief Omar Garcia Harfuch was wounded during an attempted assassination that left three others dead. Harfuch blamed members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) for the attack. https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/english/mexico-city-police-chief-omar-garcia-harfuch-injured-assassination-attempt-blames-cjng

this conflict is ongoing. please RETWEET this to spread awareness about this issue, it needs more media coverage.

on july 1 2020 gunmen killed 24 people in a shooting at a drug rehab facility in Irapuato, Guanajuato state. Guanajuato is an epicentre of violence, as there is a turf war between the local Santa Rosa de Lima gang and Jalisco New Generation Cartel. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-07-02/At-least-24-killed-in-a-shooting-in-Mexico-s-Irapuato-RN5hWuvbig/index.html