Human Rights Groups in Mexico Claim Cartel Violence Causing Exodus in Michoacan

A new series of cartel clashes taking place in the rural parts of western Mexico forced hundreds of individuals to flee their homes as government officials appear to turn a blind eye to the horrors. Amid the violence, human rights activists are asking Mexico’s government to step in to not only restore the peace but to implement long-term solutions to the violence and the forced displacement of indigenous people in the region.

The Human Security Observatory and three other human rights groups asked for help in a letter addressed to Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, his top staffers, and the Governor of Michoacan, Alfredo Ramirez Bedolla. The activists listed that 158 people from the town of Coahuayana, 250 people from the town of Aquila, and various others fled their homes soon after the violence started. The group claimed that 17 individuals stayed in their homes intending to defend their belongings but have since gone missing.

As Breitbart Texas reported, the clashes come as a handful of rival criminal organizations joined forces with Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) to take on other organizations that pass themselves off as self-defense forces as a way to get help from state authorities. The various organizations have been fighting for control of lucrative drug production areas and cocaine smuggling routes into Mexico. The fighting has led to days of non-stop violence where gunmen have used armored vehicles, high-powered weapons, land mines, and explosives and have also used drones to drop IEDS on their rivals.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.