The Mexican govt has published new main points within the grisly homicide of a mayor, Alejandro Arcos, who used to be discovered decapitated over the weekend.
Arcos’s homicide got here just about per week after President Claudia Sheinbaum took place of work, ramping up force on her management to tamp down on cartel-related violence within the nation.
On Tuesday, Safety Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch informed newshounds that Arcos, a outstanding opposition determine, had no longer asked any safety escorts at the day of his killing.
“The mayor used to be going to Petaquillas for a gathering on my own,” Garcia Harfuch mentioned, relating to a the city within the coastal state of Guerrero.
“We all know that he used to be going to a selected assembly, he used to be no longer accompanied, conversation used to be misplaced locally, and the invention [of his body] used to be made hours later.”
When pressed by way of newshounds, the minister emphasized that Arcos had approached neither the Ministry of Safety nor the Nationwide Guard for help, in spite of studies that the mayor had informed native media he sought after additional coverage.
Garcia Harfuch additionally underscored that the investigation into Arcos’s loss of life used to be ongoing. “There may be numerous knowledge in this topic that we will have to guard for the sake of the investigation,” he mentioned.
Mourners pay their respects right through the funeral carrier for Alejandro Arcos on October 7 [Oscar Ramirez/Reuters]
Every week into place of work
Arcos’s loss of life comes not up to per week after he took place of work on September 30 as mayor of Chilpancingo, Guerrero’s capital town.
With its remoted mountains and temperate Pacific local weather, Guerrero has lengthy been a hub for the manufacturing of opium poppies, the important thing aspect in heroin.
As many as 16 drug-trafficking gangs function within the state, vying for keep watch over over the profitable area.
The armed gangs have brazenly challenged the native govt too, maximum prominently in 2023.
When two alleged individuals of the Los Ardillos gang have been arrested, 1000’s of protesters took to the streets at the gang’s behalf to push for his or her unlock.
They clashed with Nationwide Guard individuals and police in Chilpancingo, even the usage of an armoured car to spoil throughout the gates of the state legislature. More than one officers have been taken hostage right through the unrest.
Arcos used to be headed to fulfill individuals of the Los Ardillos gang on Sunday, the day of his loss of life, consistent with Reforma, a Mexican information outlet.
However photographs quickly emerged on social media appearing Arcos’s severed head perched atop what looked to be his pick-up truck.
It used to be the second one time in not up to per week {that a} member of the municipal govt were discovered useless. Simply 3 days prior, Francisco Tapia, any other newly minted member of town govt, used to be shot to loss of life.
Elections marred by way of violence
On Tuesday, Garcia Harfuch published that 4 different mayors — from Guerrero and any other state, Guanajuato — had appealed for defense following Arcos’s loss of life.
Mexico has lengthy grappled with political violence, as cartels and different gangs search to exert affect over govt affairs.
This yr, the rustic held its greatest election in historical past, with just about 20,000 public places of work up for grabs, together with native, state and federal positions.
However the court cases have been marred by way of violence: An estimated 37 applicants have been killed within the lead-up to the vote, lots of them looking for native place of work. In different instances, the family members of applicants have been killed, in obvious intimidation makes an attempt.
The violence pressured some applicants from the race. Others have been assigned Nationwide Guard individuals for defense.
Within the wake of Arcos’s loss of life, public officers voiced frustration and anger on the ongoing violence.
“I strongly condemn the homicide of the Municipal President of Chilpancingo, Alejandro Arcos Catalán,” Guerrero Governor Evelyn Salgado Pineda wrote on social media. “His loss grieves all of the Guerrero society and fills us with indignation.”
Alejandro Moreno, the top of Arcos’s conservative-leaning birthday party, the Institutional Modern Celebration (PRI), mentioned on Monday, “We will be able to no longer permit his loss of life to head unpunished.”
Secretary of Safety and Citizen Coverage Omar Garcia Harfuch speaks along President Claudia Sheinbaum on the unveiling of her safety technique on October 8 [Henry Romero/Reuters]
Sheinbaum’s safety technique
As govt officers grappled with the fallout from Arcos’s loss of life on Tuesday, President Sheinbaum — herself inaugurated on September 30 — published her proposals to reinforce Mexico’s safety.
A member of the left-leaning Morena Celebration, she dominated out a go back to hardline techniques. “The warfare on medicine is not going to go back,” she mentioned, mentioning a arguable United States-led initiative.
Sheinbaum echoed her predecessor, the preferred Morena chief Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, in calling for measures that cope with the foundation reasons of crime, like poverty.
She additionally asserted that her govt would no longer hotel to over the top drive to take on crime. Mexico’s army and legislation enforcement have lengthy been accused of committing extrajudicial killings — or even participating with the cartels.
“We don’t seem to be in search of extrajudicial executions, which is what used to be going down sooner than,” Sheinbaum mentioned. “What are we going to make use of? Prevention, consideration to the reasons, intelligence and [law enforcement] presence.”
Lopez Obrador, Sheinbaum’s political mentor, were criticised for his “hugs, no longer bullets” strategy to tackling crime — one thing Sheinbaum herself used to be accused of embracing at the marketing campaign path.
