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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Thomas Graham in Mexico City

More than 500 Mexicans flee to Guatemala to escape cartel violence in Chiapas

people stand in front of building as a dog walks by
Mexican citizens in a temporary shelter at a school in Nueva Reforma, Huehuetenango, Guatemala, on 27 July 2024. Photograph: Guatemalan Presidency/AFP/Getty Images

The Mexican state of Chiapas was once a haven for Guatemalans fleeing genocide at home, but this historical relationship has recently flipped, with hundreds of Mexicans crossing the border to escape the violent tyranny of organised crime groups.

Entire communities emptied out last week as more than 500 men, women, children and the elderly fled with what they could carry and walked across the border, citing food shortages and the conflicts between criminal groups pressing in ever closer on their homes.

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