Mexico: Gang Warfare Forces Over 4,000 Residents To Flee Chiapas Town; Gangs Burn Down Homes

The violence-addled southern Mexican state of Chiapas has been hit with its largest mass displacement since 1997 as violent gangs attacked the town and burned down houses. Approximately 4,200 were forced to flee their homes because of the attack.

Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that the government has already set up camps for the people displaced by the gang violence, which also forced many other residents to be trapped in their homes before army troops and state police showed up.

Photos from the attack that were released by police show people fleeing with just purses on their shoulders or just small backpacks or shoulder bags. President AMLO stated that the attack was "a conflict between the very same people" of the town of Tila, which is where a longstanding land dispute between farmers is currently happening.

Tila resident Victor Gomez told the Associated Press that he and many others spent three days in their homes and were too afraid to go outside, adding "A lot of people left with what they had on their backs, without money, without clothing, they left behind all their possessions, a lot of their pets remained in Tila because they could not be evacuated."

Observers have stated that criminal gangs and political interests were behind the attack, with a group known as the "Autonomos," or Autonomous Ones, being responsible for it all, according to the Digna Ochoa Human Rights Center. The group is linked to drug trafficking, setting up roadblocks, and extorting residents.

AMLO noted that "things have calmed down," and that they are already supplying the displaced residents with food. The president also noted that they want to negotiate with these armed groups "to reach an agreement so that people can return to their communities."

Mexico Mass Shooting Led to Deaths of 11 People in Chiapas Last Month

Chiapas has been plagued by violence in recent times, as the state sits right on the Mexico-Guatemala border and is an ideal drug trafficking route, with both the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel vying for supremacy there. Just last month, a horrific mass shooting rocked the state, killing 11 people.

This happened in the township of Chicomuselo, an area known as a trafficking route for migrant and drug smuggling. It is also a known area for cartel turf battles. The victims were not cartel members but residents of the town, according to CBS News.

Election Violence Also Plagued Southern Mexico State of Chiapas

Chiapas has also been the site of election violence before the recently-concluded Mexico elections. One of the latest attacks also happened last month as a mayoral candidate was killed with six others, including a young girl.

"A confrontation broke out between armed civilians during a political campaign event," Chiapas state prosecutors said. This resulted in the deaths of six people, including candidate Lucero Lopez Maza, who was running for mayor in the rural town of La Concordia, Chiapas.

The town is near the border with Guatemala and also near a major smuggling route for drugs and migrants.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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