Mexican mayors ask for federal protection after the beheading of a colleague in Guerrero – DNyuz

The assassination of the mayor of Chilpancingo, Mexico, less than a week after taking office, has taken the early days of Claudia Sheinbaum’s presidency by storm. Alejandro Arcos was beheaded in what appears to be an attack by cartels and criminal groups in the state. This continues a trend in Guerrero, where at least six candidates for public office were murdered in the run-up to Mexico’s elections last year.

New information released on Tuesday revealed that Arcos had asked Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado for better protection due to the state’s current sense of ungovernability.

Federal Public Safety Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch has denied that a formal request was ever received, CBS News reported. State and federal governments can offer mayors bulletproof vehicles, additional bodyguards and emergency alert systems upon request.

García Harfuch also revealed another piece of information: four mayors in Mexico have filed for federal protection after Arcos’ murder.

While he did not specify the reasons behind the protection requests or the identities of the mayors, he did confirm that they came from Guerrero and the state of Guanajuato, another area experiencing serious violence.

The state capital, Chilpancingo, is dominated by two warring drug gangs, the Ardillos and the Tlacos, who have waged a violent battle for control. Criminal groups often target mayors to extract extortion payments, secure government contracts, and influence local police.

The incident follows a wave of violence ahead of Mexico’s June elections that left at least 24 politicians dead. The violence continues despite recent efforts by Mexico’s new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, to prevent a repeat of the military-led “war on drugs” that began in 2006.

Instead, Sheinbaum’s administration has emphasized addressing the root causes of crime through social policy, intelligence and prevention, while the National Guard continues to play a public safety role.

Violence in the country has also spread to journalists, who suffered an alarming number of deaths during ex-president AMLO’s presidency.

According to data from Article 19, an NGO that promotes freedom of expression and information in Mexico and the region, the number of journalists killed during his presidency reached 47, the same number as those killed during the previous government of Enrique Peña Nieto . .

Mexico

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