Mexico’s new govt has been shaken through the homicide of a town mayor who was once attacked and beheaded days after taking workplace.Alejandro Arcos Catalán was once sworn in because the mayor of Chilpancingo, the capital of the southern state of Guerrero, on 30 September, an afternoon ahead of Mexico’s first feminine president, Claudia Sheinbaum, took energy herself.On Monday, not up to every week into her presidency, Sheinbaum showed reviews that the 43-year-old town chief were slain the day past, telling journalists: “All of the vital investigations are happening.”Pictures of Arcos Catalán’s bloodied head, exhibited at the roof of a white car whilst his frame lay slumped within, unfold on social media – a horrible reminder of the violence that Mexico’s organised crime battle has inflicted at the Latin American nation.The mayor’s homicide got here after two shut allies have been shot lifeless within the early days of his short-lived management. A secretary, Francisco Tapia, was once gunned down on 3 October, whilst Ulises Hernández Martínez, a former particular forces police commander who was once tipped to transform Arcos Catalán’s safety leader, was once riddled with bullets at the eve of the mayor’s inauguration.Surprised electorate shared photos of an interview with the mayor ahead of his loss of life during which he stated he wanted to be remembered as a champion of peace and happiness. “I’ve lived right here all my lifestyles … and it’s right here that I need to die – however I need to die preventing for my town,” Arcos Catalán stated.The homicide sparked anger and disgust, with Alejandro Moreno, the president of Arcos Catalán’s birthday celebration, the Institutional Innovative birthday celebration (PRI), denouncing what he known as a ugly “act of terror”.Ricardo Anaya, an opposition senator, lamented the “spine-chilling” safety state of affairs in Mexico, the place greater than 450,000 other people were killed since President Felipe Calderón introduced his doomed “conflict” in opposition to the drug cartels in 2006.“The truth that they have got decapitated the mayor of such crucial town must make us shudder. It’s completely unacceptable and we want to do one thing to make sure it stops taking place,” Anaya advised journalists, calling for a right away alternate in tack in safety coverage.However Sheinbaum has promised to proceed the so-called “hugs, now not bullets” safety coverage of her predecessor and mentor, the 70-year-old nationalist Andrés Manuel López Obrador, all through her six-year time period.“We can now not go back to Calderón’s reckless conflict at the narcos that did our nation such a lot hurt. It stays our conviction that safety and peace are the end result of justice,” she advised 1000’s of supporters who packed Mexico Town’s Zócalo Sq. for her historical inauguration remaining Tuesday.Despite the fact that López Obrador claimed to have completed a modest relief in Mexico’s homicide charge within the later levels of his presidency, there may be consensus amongst safety analysts that his makes an attempt to “pacify” the rustic failed. Remaining 12 months Mexico suffered greater than 30,000 murders. In line with the Instituto Igarapé thinktank, Mexico was once house to 11 of the sector’s 50 maximum murderous towns in 2023, when compared with 3 in 2015. Chilpancingo was once one in every of them.Regardless of that bleak fact, López Obrador, who maximum Mexicans know merely as Amlo, left workplace with approval scores of 70%, in large part because of his relentless center of attention on preventing inequality and positioning himself as a champion of the deficient.Mindful that tackling violence represents one in every of her maximum daunting demanding situations – and underneath drive after Arcos Catalán’s homicide – Sheinbaum stated she would set out her public safety plans on Tuesday.Any other primary safety disaster is taking part in out within the north-western town of Culiacán, the place an inside battle throughout the Sinaloa cartel brought about through the seize of its co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García has resulted in ratings of killings.Sheinbaum’s safety pressure can be spearheaded through the safety minister, Omar García Harfuch, who served as her police leader whilst she was once mayor of Mexico Town. García Harfuch has first-hand revel in of the hazards of organised crime: in 2020 he got here with reference to loss of life when hitmen ambushed his automobile at the capital’s best-known side road, firing greater than 400 instances with attack rifles and grenade launchers.The identification of the killers of the mayor of Chilpancingo remained unclear however lately town has witnessed a bloody squabble between two felony teams known as Los Ardillos (the Squirrels) and Los Tlacos. As frequently occurs in Mexico, native politicians were implicated in that underworld. Arcos Catalán’s predecessor Norma Otilia Hernández was once got rid of from workplace after compromising photos emerged appearing her speaking with a Squirrels boss in a cafe. Hernández, who was once then a member of López Obrador and Sheinbaum’s political motion, Morena, claimed it was once a “likelihood” come upon, however was once later expelled from the birthday celebration.After his election previous this 12 months, Arcos Catalán reportedly stated he would now not do offers or negotiate with felony teams.
