Three weeks have passed since the assassination of the mayor of Uruapan, in the state of Michoacán, and its impact only grows.
In a country where, on average, one mayor was killed per month during the last year, Manzo’s murder took on special significance.
Every day, a new detail emerges: an arrest, an analysis of the possible motive, seemingly paralyzing the nation’s media.
A political message also frequently appears, one seeking to downplay the case, and another attempting to use it as a weapon against the opposition.
President Claudia Sheinbaum has addressed the case in almost every morning press conference since then, and announced an ambitious plan to pacify Michoacán, one of the states most affected by disputes between criminal groups and their influence on the region’s political, judicial, and economic systems.
Authorities have made a dozen arrests in connection with the murder, including some of Manzo’s bodyguards and Jorge Armando N., alias “El Licenciado,” the alleged coordinator of the crime.
The perpetrator, a 17-year-old named Víctor Ubaldo, was killed along with two of his accomplices shortly after the incident on November 1.
Although the motive for the murder remains unclear, authorities point to the involvement of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of the two largest in the country, and a possible dispute between a cartel cell and a self-defense group in an area rich in lemon and avocado crops.
As details emerge piecemeal, the murder of the outspoken mayor, killed on the Day of the Dead, appears to be becoming a symbol of the growing frustration with crime in Mexico.
Source: bbc
