Australian National Review – Mexican president blames US for rise in cartel violence in Sinaloa

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has blamed the United States for a surge in violence between cartel groups in the state of Sinaloa, which has left at least 30 people dead.

Two factions of the powerful Sinaloa cartel have been attacking each other in the state capital of Culiacan this past week, with teams of gunmen – or sicarios – shooting at each other and at security forces.

The increase in violence followed the July 25 arrest of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, 76, in El Paso, Texas.

Zambada has since claimed he was ambushed and brought to the United States by Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of former Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who is serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison.

The two sides at war are the MZ/MF, who are loyal to El Mayo, and the El Chapitos, who swear allegiance to Guzmán López and the other sons of El Chapo.

At a press conference on Thursday, López Obrador – who is often referred to by his initials AMLO – described the operation to capture El Mayo as “completely illegal.”

‘Instability’ in Sinaloa

He said of the US government: “If we are now dealing with instability and conflict in Sinaloa, it is because they made that decision.”

López Obrador said there that “there can be no cooperative relationship” between the United States and Mexico “if they make unilateral decisions” such as proceeding with the capture of El Mayo without informing the Mexican government.

Last week, López Obrador asked warring factions in Sinaloa to behave “responsibly” and said he was confident the cartels would listen to him.

But the killings have not stopped and many parents are keeping their children home from school in Culiacan for fear they will become involved in cartel violence.

Businesses close early and few people venture into the city after dark.

On September 17, Mexican Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval reported that two soldiers had been killed in the fighting that broke out on September 9.

About 2,000 security personnel have been sent to Sinaloa and neighboring Durango state to patrol areas seen as cartel strongholds.

Strategy ‘Hugs, not bullets’

Unlike some of his predecessors, López Obrador has refused to confront Mexico’s drug cartels, calling his strategy “hugs, not bullets.”

Mexican prosecutors have even said they are considering filing treason charges against those involved in the arrest of El Mayo, whose cartel has killed thousands of people over the past two decades.

López Obrador is the outgoing president of Mexico, but his successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, is from the same Morena party. She will be inaugurated in January.

US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said one element of the reforms – the election of judges by popular vote – posed “a grave risk to the functioning of Mexican democracy”.

The US government has not responded to López Obrador’s comments.

“Now El Mayo joins the many other leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel who have been charged in a U.S. court for the immeasurable damage they have caused to families and communities in our country.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.