A dire hostage-like situation persists in two municipalities nestled along Mexico’s southern border, Frontera Comalapa and Chicomuselo, in the state of Chiapas. The grip of drug traffickers has tightened, suffocating these towns with checkpoints, murders, and absolute control over essential services like electricity, telecommunications, and food supplies. According to activists, Federal Police, and local journalists, the situation has deteriorated to the point where entering or leaving these areas has become virtually impossible.
These concerns are now our concerns because of the open borders between the US and Mexico.
The latest episode of violence erupted in a tragic confrontation between rival cartels—the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG)—which claimed the lives of eleven individuals. Such clashes have become distressingly common, reflecting the ongoing power struggle between these two criminal factions over control of Chiapas.
Residents describe a harrowing existence where their lives are held at the mercy of these cartels. Businesses shuttered in Chicomuselo bear witness to the economic stranglehold enforced by the drug lords. Even access to basic necessities like food has been severely restricted, as key roads remain closed, choking off supply routes. The closure of the Aurrera supermarket in Frontera Comalapa serves as a stark illustration of the extent of control exerted by these criminal groups.
Moreover, the cartels have implemented signal blockers, depriving residents of communication with the outside world and exacerbating the pervasive atmosphere of fear and isolation. Those trapped within these towns face not only physical danger but also the psychological torment of being cut off from loved ones and assistance.
Despite the gravity of the situation, government responses have been woefully inadequate. Previous interventions by state and federal security forces have failed to yield tangible results, leaving residents disillusioned and abandoned. The ongoing crisis has resulted in a mass exodus of residents, with thousands fleeing their homes in search of safety.
Human rights organizations have sounded the alarm, documenting the plight of displaced individuals and urging the government to take decisive action. However, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration has downplayed the severity of the crisis, further exacerbating the suffering of those caught in the crossfire.
As Chiapas descends deeper into chaos, the plight of its residents remains a grim reminder of the human cost of Mexico’s ongoing drug war. With elections looming, political interests threaten to overshadow the urgent need for intervention, leaving vulnerable communities at the mercy of ruthless criminal syndicates.
[Source: EL PAÍS International]
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