Fire opened on convoy
Mexican soldiers kill six migrants
October 3, 2024, 3:08 a.m
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Hundreds of thousands of migrants move through Mexico every year in the hope of reaching the USA. Many of them become victims of organized crime on this dangerous journey. The encounter with two soldiers is fatal for six migrants.
Soldiers shot at a group of migrants in southern Mexico who were believed to be traveling in trucks with smugglers. Six people were killed and twelve others were injured, the Defense Ministry said. The soldiers mistook the people for gang members.
According to official information, the incident occurred at night near the municipality of Villa Comaltitlán in the state of Chiapas. An investigation has been initiated and the two soldiers who fired have been suspended from duty, the ministry said. On the same day of the incident, Mexico’s first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum, was sworn in.
According to the soldiers involved, they came across a convoy of three vehicles while on patrol. Two soldiers fired after hearing “detonations” from the convoy. These included two vehicles that resembled vehicles used by criminal groups. The migrants killed were part of a group of 33 people from Egypt, Nepal, Cuba, India, Pakistan and other countries who were traveling in one of the vehicles.
For years, soldiers in Mexico have been deployed massively against drug cartels and for other internal security tasks. Activists denounce human rights violations. Every year, hundreds of thousands of migrants cross Mexico on their way to the United States, fleeing poverty and violence in their home countries. On the way there, they often become victims of organized crime and blackmail by the authorities.