Mexican President Partly Blames US for Surge in Sinaloa Violence
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has partly attributed a recent wave of violence in Sinaloa to actions by the United States, following the arrest of two high-profile figures linked to the Sinaloa Cartel. Over the past two weeks, the region has witnessed heightened tensions, with reports of bodies found on streets and highways.
During a press conference, López Obrador suggested that the arrest of cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López, son of the infamous drug lord “El Chapo” Guzmán, had sparked internal conflicts within the cartel. He alleged that these arrests, carried out in the US, may have stoked existing rivalries, leading to violent clashes between different factions.
Zambada and Guzmán López were apprehended on July 25 after arriving in Texas on a private plane. Zambada later claimed he was ambushed, handcuffed, and forcibly taken to the United States by Guzmán López. In a statement released by his legal team, Zambada described how he was assaulted, hooded, and transported against his will to a US-bound aircraft.
The Mexican president further alleged that the US Department of Justice had “agreements” with an organized criminal group that facilitated Zambada’s arrest. He even went as far as to describe the operation as a form of kidnapping, implying there was more to the incident than just a typical law enforcement action.
Since these arrests, Sinaloa has seen a surge in violence. Rival factions, reportedly loyal to Zambada and the sons of “El Chapo,” have engaged in violent clashes, leading to at least 49 deaths since early September. Authorities have found multiple victims with gunshot wounds across various locations, prompting increased security measures.
The situation has forced local authorities to take extraordinary steps. Last week, Governor Rubén Rocha Moya canceled Independence Day celebrations and suspended classes for two days across all educational levels, citing safety concerns.
Addressing the issue, President López Obrador acknowledged the increase in violence but denied that the situation was beyond control. He emphasized that Mexican authorities were actively managing the crisis. “We have had to take special measures, including deploying additional elements of the Armed Forces,” he said. He also noted that security forces had suffered losses, with at least two soldiers killed in the ongoing efforts to stabilize the region.
While acknowledging the unrest, López Obrador sought to downplay concerns of widespread chaos, asserting that the government was actively responding to the crisis. “In Sinaloa, there wasn’t the violence that there is now,” he remarked, underscoring how the recent arrests might have disrupted the fragile balance between rival cartel factions.
Despite reassurances, the situation in Sinaloa remains tense, and efforts continue to restore order and prevent further bloodshed. The violence has exposed the underlying volatility in cartel operations, highlighting how external factors can trigger internal strife, with grave consequences for local communities.
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