More than 100 dead or missing in violent Mexican drug cartels

Violent clashes between rival factions of the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico’s western state of Sinaloa have left at least 53 people dead, while 51 others are reported missing.

Local authorities confirm that the ongoing conflict, which began on September 9, is still ongoing and shows no signs of abating.

The conflict between the cartel’s two most powerful factions is said to have been sparked by the arrest of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a legendary drug trafficker, in the United States in July. Zambada, 74, claims that a senior member of the rival faction, Los Chapitos, kidnapped him against his will and transported him to the U.S.

Since the outbreak of violence, the state capital, Culiacán, has witnessed chaotic shootings, leading to the closure of schools on certain days and early closings of restaurants and shops. More than 40 people have been arrested recently and more than 5,000 food packages have been distributed to affected communities, Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya said.

In an effort to restore order, the Mexican military has struggled to contain the violence. On Thursday, Fernando Perez Medina, also known as “El Piyi,” who is reportedly the head of security for Ivan Archivaldo Guzman, leader of Los Chapitos and son of jailed former cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, was arrested.

On Thursday, President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador claimed that the United States was partly responsible for the unrest, citing earlier surrender talks between U.S. officials and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the drug dealer involved in Zambada’s kidnapping.