Vigilante groups in Mexico are rising in popularity, and successfully fighting drug traffickers and kidnappers where government and local authorities have failed.

Mexico became the "world kidnap capital" with the highest reported number of more than 1,600 abductions in 2013, according to NBC. There have been more than 70,000 cartel-related killings since 2006.

The groups can be seen all over the country, from southern mountain areas to cities bordering the U.S.

One example is the group with a historically-inspired name: the Pedro Mendez Column, named after a 19th-century general who fought during the French invasion.

The column passes out leaflets against the Zeta cartel, accusing some police officers of working with the cartel, and supporting the Mexican army and marines, according to the GlobalPost.

"Insecurity, violence and criminality are only solved by honest soldiers and an armed people," the group wrote in a leaflet.

While some vigilantes have officially been recognized as rural state police, others have been arrested by police for carrying illegal guns.

They are using firearms smuggled from the U.S. and sold on the black market, or possibly provided by the opposing cartel, because gun permits are hard to obtain in Mexico, according to NBC.

But the sheer number of armed individuals are worrying human rights activists, who warn that the vigilantes are only adding to the violence in the country. While the intentions are good, some may be operating outside the law, and the shoot-outs can often interfere with the transportation of goods across the border into the U.S.

Mayor Jesus Manuel Guerrero of Hidalgo in Tamaulipas state supports the work of the vigilantes. Guerrero was a watermelon farmer and victim of a kidnapping by a cartel three years ago, and said the column has made his town safer.

President Enrique Peña Nieto, on the other hand, has been flip-flopping on his support.

"Peña Nieto repeatedly condemned people taking justice into their own hands -- but then in May he made a speech in Michoacan (state) recognizing the work of vigilantes there," according to NBC.

While residents are supportive or sympathetic toward the vigilante groups, they insist the government needs to step up and fight the battle.