A gruesome discovery has been made in Mexico’s southern state of Chiapas, where authorities have linked dozens of bodies found in a truck to a violent turf war between rival gangs. At least 19 male bodies were discovered on Monday in a dump truck abandoned on a rural road near the town of La Concordia.
According to officials, the victims were shot to death, and included at least six men carrying Guatemalan identity documents. The events leading to the discovery are believed to have occurred on Friday near the border with Guatemala, where violence has been rising in recent years.
An initial investigation suggests that the clash was between the powerful Sinaloa cartel and another gang identified as “Chiapas and Guatemala.” The two groups were battling over “criminal control of the border area,” according to the Ministry of Public Security.
The Chiapas region is a key route for drug, arms, and migrant trafficking towards the United States, making it a lucrative territory for criminal organizations. The recent surge in violence has led thousands of people to flee their homes and pushed the government to deploy an additional 1,200 personnel to reinforce the country’s southern border with Guatemala.
During this year’s presidential campaign, Claudia Sheinbaum – who was elected in June and will take over from Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in October – was briefly detained by hooded men who stopped her vehicle. She was unhurt in the incident.
Voting was suspended in two municipalities in Chiapas state due to a spike in violence that prevented polling booths from being set up.
Source: Aljazzera
