Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
CULIACAN, Mexico (AP) – Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador partly blamed the United States on Thursday for the upsurge in cartel violence terrorizing the northern state of Sinaloa that has left at least 30 people dead in the past week .
Two warring factions of the Sinaloa cartel have clashed in the capital of Culiacan state in what appears to be a power struggle since two of its leaders were arrested in the United States in late July. Teams of gunmen have shot at each other and the security forces.
Meanwhile, dead bodies continued to crop up around the city. On one busy street corner, cars drove by pools of blood leading to a body in an auto mechanic shop, while heavily armed police in black masks loaded another body stretched out on a side street in the Sinaloan city.
When asked in his morning briefing if the US government was “jointly responsible” for this violence in Sinaloa, the president said, “Yes, of course… for conducting this operation.”
The recent appearance in cartel warfare was expected after Joaquín Guzmán López, son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, landed near El Paso, Texas on July 25 in a small plane with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
Zambada was the cartel’s most senior figure and reclusive leader. After his arrest, he said in a letter circulated by his lawyer that he had been abducted by the younger Guzmán and taken to the United States against his will.
On Thursday afternoon, another military operation covered the north of Culiacan with military helicopters and a ring.
Traffic was heavy in Culiacan and most schools were open, although parents still did not send their children to classes. Businesses continue to close early and few people venture out after dark. While the city has slowly reopened and soldiers patrol the streets, many families continue to hide, with parents and teachers fearing they will be caught in the crossfire.
“Where is the security for our children, for ourselves as well, for all citizens? It’s so dangerous here, you don’t want to go out,” one Culiacan mother told the Associated Press.
The mother, who did not want to share her name for fear of the cartels, said that although some schools have recently reopened, she has not allowed her daughter to go for two weeks. She said she was afraid to do so after armed men stopped a taxi they were traveling in on their way home, scaring her child.
During his morning press briefing, López Obrador had claimed that American authorities “carried out that operation” to capture Zambada and that it was “completely illegal, and that agents from the Department of Justice are waiting about Mr Mayo.”
“If we are now facing instability and conflict in Sinaloa, it is because they (the American government) made that decision,” he said.
He added that “there can’t be a cooperative relationship if they make unilateral decisions” like this. Mexican prosecutors have said they are considering bringing charges of treason against those who were part of the plan to Zambada’s son.
It was echoed by President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, who said later in the day that “we can never accept that there is no communication or collaboration.”
This is the latest increase in tensions in the relationship between the United States and Mexico. Last month, Mexico’s president said he was putting relations with the US and Canadian embassies on “pause” after ambassadors criticized his controversial plan to overhaul Mexico’s judiciary by requiring all judges to stand for election.
Still, Zambada’s capture has prompted criticism of López Obrador, who throughout his administration has refused to confront cartels in a strategy he refers to as “hugs not bullets.” On previous occasions, he falsely stated that cartels largely respect Mexican citizens and fight among themselves.
While the president, who is due to leave office at the end of the month, has promised that his plan would reduce cartel violence, such conflicts continue to plague Mexico. Cartels are using an increasing variety of tactics, including roadside bombs or IEDs, trenches, home-made armored vehicles and bomb-dropping drones.
Last week, López Obrador publicly asked Sinaloa’s warring factions to behave “responsibly” and indicated that he believed the cartels would listen to him.
But the bloodshed just continues.
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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