For the past three months, residents of Sinaloa have been terrorized by turf wars between "Los Chapitos" and "La Mayiza" that have resulted in more than 500 deaths. As authorities continue to send troops to northern Mexico in an attempt to curb cartel-related violence, influential figures in Mexican society are also making a call for peace.
Two weeks ago, Mexico's biggest sports star Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez made a surprise appearance at one of President Claudia Sheinbaum's morning press conferences, pleading with children and adolescents in Sinaloa to use sports as a vehicle to escape the crime-ridden culture in which their communities have been immersed due to the power drug cartels have in the region.
Now it was the turn of none other than Julio César Chávez, the legendary former boxer that won six world titles during his 25-year career inside the ring.
Chávez made a call to residents in Culiacán to stay strong and asked criminal groups to put an end to their conflict.
"Culiacán is going through a difficult phase. I ask everyone in Culiacán to put an end to the massacres," Chávez told reporters, adding that despite its turbulent present Sinaloa remains a beautiful place full of hardworking people.
El exboxeador Julio César Chávez (@Jcchavez115) alzó la voz para pedir un alto a la violencia en #Culiacán.
— Rosa Lilia Torres- Noticias (@rosaliliatorrs) December 10, 2024
“Le pido a los dos cárteles que se están peleando: por favor, que paren, que lo hagan por Sinaloa”, expresó ante los medios.
El llamado fue dirigido con respeto a los… pic.twitter.com/zUzMBlOVkN
Without mentioning the name of the cliques responsible for the hundreds of deaths since September, the former six-time world champion asked cartels to put an end to their violent conflict.
"I ask all the cartels to put an end to this because people from other states are now coming to Sinaloa to rob, loot and commit illicit activities that take advantage of the situation," Chávez said.
Although Chávez was born in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, "El Gran Campeón Mexicano" has great affinity for the state of Sinaloa, as his family has resided in Culiacán for quite some time.
"I plead to all cartels, with all the due respect especially to the two that are fighting each other, to please stop. Do it for Sinaloa." — Julio César Chávez
Death toll in Sinaloa keeps rising
Under Sheinbaum's administration, the Mexican government has taken a different approach to her predecessor's "hugs, not bullets" strategy of combating organized crime groups.
Although new strategies have been adopted such as the creation of a special task force to curb cartel-related violence in northern Mexico as well as operations to apprehend and bring down networks between local government officials suspected of having ties with criminal groups in central Mexico, cartel-related violence continues to be responsible for daily homicides in Sinaloa.
According to data from Sinaloa's Attorney General's Office, since turf wars began on Sept. 9 at least 535 homicides have been reported throughout the state for an average of six every 24 hours. In addition to the deaths, nearly 900 people have gone missing.
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