The governor of Oaxaca, Salomón Jara, posted a video on his social media account of a press conference he held on May 11th, accompanied by a text claiming that the state he governs is the fifth safest in Mexico. However, this is a misleading statement.
“We are the fifth safest state in the country,” the governor posted on his account.
However, Oaxaca ranked ninth among states with the highest number of intentional homicides in April 2026, and the number of victims of this crime increased during the first four months of the year, according to figures from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP).
During the first four months of 2026, intentional homicides increased in four states, while they decreased in 28 states during this period, according to the SESNSP.
In addition, 70.9% of the population over 18 years of age in Oaxaca felt unsafe in the state, according to the latest National Survey of Victimization and Public Insecurity Perception (ENVIPE) 2025.
During the press conference, the state governor and his cabinet also highlighted the strengthened surveillance and immediate response through the C5i system, the significant arrests and weapons seizures, and the reduction in the number of roadblocks.
El Sabueso, the fact-checking unit of Animal Político, asked the Oaxaca government for the sources of its claim. As of the time of publication of this fact check, no response has been received.
High perception of insecurity and increase in crime
El Sabueso reported that during the first four months of 2026, the state of Oaxaca experienced an increase in registered intentional homicides. Between January and April of this year, the number of victims of this type of murder rose from 272 to 311, reflecting a 14.3% increase.
Furthermore, the federal government does not include Oaxaca among the states with a decrease in the number of homicide victims during the first four months of 2026.
In April 2026, Oaxaca ranked ninth among the states with the highest number of intentional homicides, with 81 murders, a figure that represented 5.1% of the national total, according to data from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP).
Regarding the crime of femicide, the Oaxaca State Attorney General’s Office indicated that five femicides were registered in the first four months of 2026, maintaining the same level as in the same period of 2025.
The most recent crime incidence map from the federal government indicates that 6,653 alleged crimes were registered in Oaxaca during the first three months of 2026, placing it tenth among states with the fewest crimes. The states with the highest numbers are: Tlaxcala with 441 crimes; Campeche with 1,079; Yucatán with 1,732; Chiapas with 2,183; Nayarit with 2,507; Durango with 4,467; Zacatecas with 5,637; Baja California Sur with 5,599; and Guerrero with 6,287.
The state governor mentioned in the press conference that they have undertaken security measures to maintain peace in the state. However, the 2025 Mexico Peace Index report: Identifying and Measuring the Factors that Promote Peace, details that Oaxaca is not among the top five states in terms of perceived peace, but rather ranks 13th.
The report classifies states with the highest and lowest peace index using colors that resemble a traffic light, where green represents states with a good perception of peace, yellow medium, and red low. Oaxaca is designated yellow, meaning it is neither among the safest nor among the most violent states in the country.
The National Survey of Victimization and Public Safety Perception (ENVIPE) indicates that 70.9% of the population aged 18 and over perceives living in Oaxaca as unsafe.
According to the National Urban Public Safety Survey (ENSU), published in April 2016 and evaluating 91 urban areas in different states, Oaxaca de Juárez ranks 49th in terms of perceived insecurity, with 70.5% of the population aged 18 and over considering living in their city currently unsafe.
In the ENSU survey, the city of Oaxaca de Juárez is far from the places with the lowest perceived insecurity. The top five places are occupied by San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León, with 4.4%; Piedras Negras, Coahuila, with 12.9%; the Benito Juárez borough in Mexico City, with 16.4%; Saltillo, Coahuila, with 16.7%; and San Nicolás de los Garza, with 19.4%.
Source: es-us.noticias.yahoo
