Residents of San Andrés Cohamiata, in the municipality of Mezquitic, in the northern region of Jalisco, reported that individuals allegedly linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) recently deprived some Indigenous community authorities of their freedom and even threatened to take control of the community by force.
For this reason, they held an assembly in the locality of Bajío de los Carrizales, municipality of Mezquitic, to demand the presence of representatives from all three levels of government, since teachers and doctors can only enter the area when accompanied by the National Guard or the Army, creating problems related to healthcare and education.
The Secretary General of Government, Salvador Zamora, traveled by helicopter to the area on Sunday morning. However, the residents did not want the official to leave. Zamora became frustrated and made his way toward the helicopter, and a state police officer fired a shot into the air, according to accounts from community members.
For this reason, they read a statement recounting the events and insisting that their safety be guaranteed.
“The community has issued an urgent call to the three levels of government: federal, state, and municipal, requesting their presence and the implementation of immediate actions to guarantee the safety, integrity, and peace of mind of the families in the community. The community’s demand is based on the need to implement a comprehensive security and protection strategy in response to the acts of violence that have affected the population,” said a spokesperson who was not identified for security reasons.
The community members remain in protest at the Bajío de los Carrizales site and are demanding the presence of federal authorities. The statement is addressed to President Claudia Sheinbaum, as well as to the governors of Jalisco, Pablo Lemus, and Nayarit, Miguel Ángel Navarro.
The residents complained that the Secretary of Government had left the site without addressing the community’s requests.
“The official left the site without comprehensively addressing the call made by the community authorities and representatives, a situation that generated dissatisfaction and concern among those present. The community believes that the presence of government representatives must translate into concrete actions, inter-institutional coordination, and direct attention to the demands that have been presented,” said the community representative.
Through the statement that was read and broadcast on social media, the residents are demanding that the Jalisco government investigate the actions of the State Police for having fired a shot into the air.
They are also asking Luz del Carmen Godínez, head of the Jalisco State Human Rights Commission (CEDHJ), to investigate the events.
“During the presence of members of the Jalisco State Police, a firearm was discharged, an incident that caused concern among members of the community who were present at the site. The community states that it has corresponding evidence of the incident,” the spokesperson emphasized.
The Secretariat General of Government issued a statement saying that Salvador Zamora went to the area to begin a dialogue regarding the residents’ requests. However, “given the demand from community leaders for the presence of representatives from the three levels of government, it was decided to postpone the beginning of the dialogue until federal and municipal representation was available.”
The statement said that members of the National Guard, the Army, and the Jalisco State Police are in the region “to maintain peace.”
The Indigenous community members are asking for a permanent dialogue table to be established and announced that this Monday at 12:00 p.m. they will hold a peaceful demonstration in front of the Government Palace in Guadalajara.
Source: cronica
