The war over drug trafficking probably caused another bloody day in Mexico, Monday October 23. At least twenty-four people died, including thirteen police officers, after two separate armed attacks in two states in the southwest of the country.
In the town of Coyuca de Benitez, in the state of Guerrero, the attack on a police patrol, which was escorting the trip of the local security secretary, left twenty-four dead, including twelve police officers and the escorted manager, according to the local prosecutor’s office. And in Tacambaro, in the neighboring state of Michoacan, four civilians and a police officer were killed during another armed attack, which also left two injured.
These two regions, strategic corridors for drug trafficking along the Pacific coast, are the frequent scene of criminal actions attributed to powerful Mexican cartels.
Guerrero, home to the famous resort town of Acapulco, is one of the poorest states in Mexico. The deputy prosecutor did not provide details on the circumstances of the attack in this state, but local press indicated that it was an ambush. Images circulating on social media show several people in uniform, lying face down on the ground, their hands tied, and seemingly lifeless.
341 police officers killed in the year
In the state of Michoacan, armed men attacked the brother of the mayor of the town of Tacambaro, according to the local prosecutor’s office. A restaurant employee and a municipal police officer were among the victims, while the mayor’s brother was injured. In a video posted on social media, armed men are seen opening fire before fleeing in several vehicles.
Since the launch of a controversial military anti-drug offensive in 2006, the country’s murder rate has tripled to 25 per 100,000 people. According to figures from Common Cause, 341 police officers have been killed in Mexico this year. More than 110,000 disappearances have been recorded since 1962, most attributed to criminal organizations.
Violence against local officials often intensifies as election periods approach, but in 2024 the presidential and legislative elections will be held. “Guerrero has long suffered one of Mexico’s most complicated armed conflicts, but current levels of pre-election violence are extraordinary”Falko Ernst, analyst at the International Crisis Group, said on the X network (formerly Twitter).