Mexican president blames the US for bloodshed in Sinaloa as cartel
violence surges
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[September 20, 2024]
By EDUARDO VERDUGO
CULIACAN, Mexico (AP) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador
blamed the United States in part on Thursday for the surge in cartel
violence terrorizing the northern state of Sinaloa which has left at
least 30 people dead in the past week.
Two warring factions of the Sinaloa cartel have clashed in the state
capital of Culiacan in what appears to be a fight for power since two of
its leaders were arrested in the United States in late July. Teams of
gunmen have shot at each other and the security forces.
Meanwhile, dead bodies continued to pop up around the city. On one busy
street corner, cars drove by pools of the blood leading to a body in a
car mechanic shop, while heavily armed police in black masks loaded up
another body stretched out on a side street of the Sinaloan city.
Asked at his morning briefing if the U.S. government was “jointly
responsible” for this violence in Sinaloa, the president said, “Yes, of
course ... for having carried out this operation.”
The recent surge in cartel warfare had been expected after Joaquín
Guzmán López, a son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo”
Guzmán, landed near El Paso, Texas on July 25 in a small plane with
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
Zambada was the cartel’s elder figure and reclusive leader. After his
arrest, he said in a letter circulated by his lawyer that he had been
abducted by the younger Guzmán and taken to the U.S. against his will.
On Thursday afternoon, another military operation covered the north of
Culiacan with military and circling helicopters.
Traffic was heavy in Culiacan and most schools were open, even though
parents were still not sending their children to classes. Businesses
continue to close early and few people venture out after dark. While the
city has slowly reopened and soldiers patrol the streets, many families
continue to hide away, with parents and teachers fearing they'll be
caught in the crossfire.
“Where is the security for our children, for ourselves too, for all
citizens? It’s so dangerous here, you don’t want to go outside,” one
Culiacan mother told the Associated Press.
The mother, who didn't want to share her name out of fear of the
cartels, said that while some schools have recently reopened, she hasn't
allowed her daughter to go for two weeks. She said she was scared to do
so after armed men stopped a taxi they were traveling in on their way
home, terrifying her child.
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National Guard forces and Army soldiers patrol during an operation
in a neighborhood of Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico, Thursday,
Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
During his morning news briefing, López Obrador had claimed American
authorities “carried out that operation” to capture Zambada and that “it
was totally illegal, and agents from the Department of Justice were
waiting for Mr. Mayo.”
“If we are now facing instability and clashes in Sinaloa, it is because
they (the American government) made that decision,” he said.
He added that there “cannot be a cooperative relationship if they take
unilateral decisions” like this. Mexican prosecutors have said they were
considering bringing treason charges against those involved in the plan
to nab Zambada.
He was echoed by President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, who said later in
the day that “we can never accept that there is no communication or
collaboration.”
It's the latest escalation of tensions in the U.S.-Mexico relationship.
Last month, the Mexican president said he was putting relations with the
U.S. and Canadian embassies “on pause” after ambassadors criticized his
controversial plan to overhaul Mexico's judiciary by requiring all
judges to stand for election.
Still, the Zambada capture has fueled criticisms of López Obrador, who
has throughout his administration refused to confront cartels in a
strategy he refers to as “hugs not bullets.” On previous occasions, he
falsely stated that cartels respect Mexican citizens and largely fight
amongst themselves.
While the president, who is set to leave office at the end of the month,
has promised his plan would reduce cartel violence, such clashes
continue to plague Mexico. Cartels employ an increasing array of
tactics, including roadside bombs or IEDs, trenches, home-made armored
vehicles and bomb-dropping drones.
Last week, López Obrador publicly asked Sinaloa's warring factions to
act “responsibly” and noted that he believed the cartels would listen to
him.
But the bloodshed has only continued.
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