Attackers gunned down a mayor in the southern Mexico state of Guerrero on Wednesday (October 6), while a state politician was also shot to death in the neighbouring state of Morelos.
While attacks on public officials are not uncommon in Mexico, these come at a time when the security strategy of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is being sharply debated. He has placed tremendous responsibility on the armed forces rather than civilian police for reining in Mexico’s persistently high levels of violence.
Guerrero’s security coordination group confirmed the killing of Conrado Mendoza, mayor of San Miguel Totolapan, in a statement. The remote township is in Tierra Caliente, one of Mexico’s most conflictive areas which is disputed by multiple drug trafficking gangs.
