Disputes between groups of armed civilians and the use of force to achieve political objectives were among the main reasons why there was an increase in violence in several states of the country during 2024, according to a recent report by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) organization.
When analyzing the incidence of crime in Mexico between January and November of this year, specialists who are part of the project identified that violence had an alarming growth in at least three entities: Sinaloa, Chiapas and Tabasco.
According to the report prepared by analyst Sandra Pellegrini, Tabasco was the demarcation that registered the greatest increase in this area, since in 2024 there were 318 events of violence, compared to the 107 reported in 2023, which represents an increase of 197%.
In this entity, it is recorded that political violence spread to 86 localities during this year, compared to the 37 communities counted by ACLED in 2023.
On January 5, 2024, the state government confirmed the resignation of Hernán Bermúdez Requena as Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC). His resignation occurred in the midst of a wave of violence in different parts of Villahermosa, to which were added the accusations against him for alleged links with La Barredora, a criminal group that emerged as a cell of the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG) and is now disputing control of the entity with this organization.
Regarding Sinaloa, ACLED recorded a total of 531 violent events between January and November 2024, a figure significantly higher than the 254 reported in 2023.
“The escalation of violence in Sinaloa was mainly due to the increase in attacks against civilians, clashes between security forces and armed groups, as well as disputes between the latter,” the report reads.
It should be noted that hostilities in various areas of the state, especially in Culiacán, have increased since September 9, 2024 due to the feud between Los Chapitos and La Mayiza, split off from the Sinaloa Cartel. During the first three months of this confrontation, authorities estimated a death toll of more than 600.
In the state of Chiapas, ACLED’s analysis shows that violent events increased from 161 in 2023 to 267 between January and November 2024, which is equivalent to a growth of 66%.
The information shared by the research project indicates that clashes between non-state armed groups intensified and became more lethal during 2024, leaving at least 130 people dead, a figure six times higher than that recorded in 2023.
The southern state has been living, at least since 2021, under siege by groups such as the Sinaloa Cartel and the CJNG that seek to gain control of activities ranging from migrant trafficking and drug sales to extortion and mining exploitation.
Source: infobae
