The murder of the mayor of Chilpancingo, Mexico, less than a week after taking office, has taken the first days of Claudia Sheinbaum's presidency by storm. Alejandro Arcos was beheaded in what seems to be an attack from cartels and criminal groups in the state, continuing a trend in Guerrero where at least six candidates for public office were killed in in the run-up to Mexico's elections last year.
New information released on Tuesday revealed that Arcos had requested Guerrero's Governor, Evelyn Salgado, for better protection due to the state's current feeling of ungovernability.
Federal Public Safety Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch, however, has denied that any formal request was ever received, as CBS News reports. State and federal governments can offer mayors bulletproof vehicles, additional bodyguards and emergency alert systems upon request.
García Harfuch also revealed another piece of information: four mayors in Mexico have requested federal protection following the murder Arcos. Although he did not specify the reasons behind the protection requests nor the identities of the mayors, he did confirm that they came from Guerrero and the state of Guanajuato, another area grappling with severe violence.
The state capital, Chilpancingo, is dominated by two warring drug gangs, the Ardillos and the Tlacos, who have waged a violent struggle for control. Criminal groups frequently target mayors to force extortion payments, secure government contracts, and exert influence over local police forces.
This incident follows a wave of violence leading up to the June elections in Mexico, during which at least 24 politicians were killed. The violence continues despite recent efforts by Mexico's new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, to avoid repeating the military-led "war on drugs" that began in 2006. Instead, Sheinbaum's administration has emphasized addressing the root causes of crime through social policies, intelligence, and prevention, while maintaining a role for the National Guard in public security.
The violence in the country has also extender to journalists, which suffered an alarming rate of deaths throughout ex president AMLO's presidency. According to records from Article 19, an NGO that promotes freedom of speech and information in Mexico and the region, the number of journalist killed during his presidency ended up at 47, the same amount as those who perished during the previous administration of Enrique Peña Nieto.
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