AFP: Gunmen forced down a military helicopter in western Mexico, killing three troops as violence escalated across Jalisco state during a new operation against a powerful drug cartel.
Seven people were killed across Jalisco, including the three soldiers and a state police officer, while 19 people were wounded, officials said. Three gang suspects were killed in the fighting, authorities said. Read more.
The MexicoBlog of the Americas Program, a fiscally sponsored program of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), is written by Laura Carlsen. I monitor and analyze international press on Mexico, with a focus on security, immigration, human rights and social movements for peace and justice, from a feminist perspective. And sometimes I simply muse.
Showing posts with label Mexico internal conflict. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mexico internal conflict. Show all posts
Jan 28, 2013
'Sick And Tired,' Residents In Southern Mexico Defend Themselves
NPR by CARRIE KAHN
January 27, 2013
On the main road into the Mexican town of Ayutla, about 75 miles southeast of Acapulco, about a dozen men cradling shotguns and rusted machetes stand guard on a street corner. Their faces are covered in black ski masks.
The men are part of a network of self-defense brigades, formed in the southern state of Guerrero to combat the drug traffickers and organized crime gangs that terrorize residents.
The brigades have set up roadblocks, arrested suspects and are set on running the criminals out of town.
Taking Control
They go over patrol shifts schedules, handwritten on wrinkled papers, and communicate with other checkpoints in town via walkie-talkies. One man, who wouldn't give his name but identified himself as a "lower commander," said the townspeople had no choice but to take up arms. Read more.
January 27, 2013
On the main road into the Mexican town of Ayutla, about 75 miles southeast of Acapulco, about a dozen men cradling shotguns and rusted machetes stand guard on a street corner. Their faces are covered in black ski masks.
The men are part of a network of self-defense brigades, formed in the southern state of Guerrero to combat the drug traffickers and organized crime gangs that terrorize residents.
The brigades have set up roadblocks, arrested suspects and are set on running the criminals out of town.
Taking Control
They go over patrol shifts schedules, handwritten on wrinkled papers, and communicate with other checkpoints in town via walkie-talkies. One man, who wouldn't give his name but identified himself as a "lower commander," said the townspeople had no choice but to take up arms. Read more.
Jun 13, 2012
Mexico Ranks at Bottom of Global Peace index
Mexico came out at the bottom of the pack on the 2012 Global Peace Index (GPI), released yesterday, garnering slot 135 out of a group of 158 countries. The GPI ranks nations on a scale of 1-5 based on 23 indicators associated with the absence of violence, with 5 being the least peaceful. Mexico garnered fives in "violent crime" and "deaths from internal conflict". Other critical areas include fours in "political terror", "homicides", "access to weapons" and "perception of criminality".
The world, and Latin America in particular, rose overall in peacefulness during the last year. Mexico is the notable exception, dropping from 105 out of 148 in 2010.
Mexico´s ranking comes as no surprise to people here. Most of the other countries in the lowest 15% are experiencing open conflict, with Somalia as the most violent country, followed by Afghanistan and Sudan. Mexico's ranking reflects the degree to which its internal conflict cause by the war on drugs has risen in impact.
The report concludes with this statement on the economic cost of violence:
The world, and Latin America in particular, rose overall in peacefulness during the last year. Mexico is the notable exception, dropping from 105 out of 148 in 2010.
Mexico´s ranking comes as no surprise to people here. Most of the other countries in the lowest 15% are experiencing open conflict, with Somalia as the most violent country, followed by Afghanistan and Sudan. Mexico's ranking reflects the degree to which its internal conflict cause by the war on drugs has risen in impact.
The report concludes with this statement on the economic cost of violence:
If the world was completely peaceful in 2011, the additional economic impact would have been an estimated US$9 trillion (equal to the size of the German and Japanese economies combined). While a total elimination of violence may not be possible an achievable 25% reduction in violence could reap a peace dividend of at least US$2.25 trillion. This amount would easily cover the European Financial Stability Facility’s $1 trillion allocation to deal with the European sovereign debt crisis while also covering the yearly cost of achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
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