12 killed in clash between criminal gangs in Mexico – 2024-02-23 13:42:46

At least 12 people have been killed in clashes between several criminal gangs in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero. The country’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday (February 21) that there has been a recent increase in criminal activity in the region. This information was given in a report of the news agency AFP.

The clash took place in the mountain community of Las Tunas. Five charred bodies were found there on Tuesday (February 20), the state prosecutor’s office confirmed.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador told reporters that without all the information, it can be assumed that there was a clash between criminal gangs. So far 12 deaths have been confirmed there.

He said that the security forces are conducting operations in the area and more information will be given in this regard. Meanwhile, according to local media reports, two criminal gangs named La Familia Michoacana and Los Tlacos clashed to take control of the area.

Analyst David Saucedo says La Familia Michoacana dominates the neighboring state of Michoacán. Now they are trying to take over Guerrero, one of the country’s poorest and most violent states. As a result, they clash with other criminal gangs.

He said they are looking to expand their regional base. As a result, local criminal groups are also creating resistance. According to official estimates, 1,890 people have been killed since 2023 in clashes between these criminal gangs.

Las Tunas is part of the municipality of San Miguel Totolapan. There, in October 2022, 20 people, including the mayor, were killed in an attack by a criminal group on the city hall.

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Mexico has recorded more than 420,000 murders and the disappearance of tens of thousands of people since late 2006, when then-President Felipe Calderon launched a controversial anti-drug military campaign.

TTN