Mexico’s state institutions have been bedevilled for decades by widespread corruption and powerful transnational criminal organisations. Crime and the “war on drugs” have destabilised the country and fuelled violence; meanwhile, thousands of refugees and migrants flee through Mexico from similar volatility in Central America. Crisis Group focuses on addressing criminal violence, institutional corruption, trafficking and migration. Our aim is to help solve challenges to security posed by global criminal networks, local armed groups and the elusiveness of state rule.
En México, las redes sociales son una de las principales fuentes de información sobre crímenes violentos, y muchos lugares son demasiado peligrosos para los periodistas. Pero mucha información es inexacta o engañosa, y es compartida por los grupos criminales. Las plataformas deberían adaptar sus políticas para minimizar los riesgos.
Tensions ran high in lead-up to June elections as corruption allegations mounted, criminal violence continued, and Mexico severed ties with Ecuador following embassy raid.
Former chief justice dismissed corruption allegations as politically motivated. Supreme Court 12 April announced investigation into former Chief Justice Arturo Zaldívar, who stepped down from his position late 2023 to join campaign of ruling MORENA party’s presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum; court alleged Zaldívar pressured judges to vote in favour of govt during his four-year stint as Chief Justice. Zaldívar 16 April announced he would take legal action against his successor Norma Piña for using court for political purposes and electoral interference. Meanwhile, MORENA leader Mario Delgado 16 April said his party would bring charges against opposition candidate Xóchitl Gálvez for alleged corruption. Sheinbaum and Gálvez 28 April accused each other of belonging to “narco parties” during presidential debate.
Violence persisted at high levels. Political violence continued to intensify in run-up to elections. Notably, unknown gunmen 1 April shot dead MORENA mayoral candidate outside Celaya city (Guanajuato state). Criminal violence also continued, particularly in Chiapas and Michoacán states. Notably, security forces 15 April clashed with alleged members of Sinaloa Cartel in Acapetahua municipality (Chiapas); fighting between Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and armed self-defence groups over territory along border between Michoacán and Colima states displaced hundreds; and alleged CJNG members 23 April killed four in Centro Municipality, Tabasco state. Meanwhile, International Organization for Migration 12 April reported that number of irregular migration cases in Mexico had risen by 77% in 2023 compared with 2022, and that violence against migrants had escalated.
Police in Ecuador stormed Mexican embassy, prompting Mexico to sever ties. Authorities in Ecuador 5 April forced their way into Mexican embassy in capital Quito and arrested Ecuador’s former VP Jorge Glas, who had been awaiting response to his political asylum request. Mexico 6 April severed diplomatic ties with Ecuador, while international community condemned incursion. Mexico 11 April brought charges before International Court of Justice, requesting that it suspend Ecuador’s UN membership.
Cada vez más mujeres se unen a grupos criminales que disputan territorios en México, lo que aumenta los peligros que estas organizaciones representan. Para frenar esta tendencia y ayudar a las integrantes a dejar estos grupos, las autoridades deben cooperar con la sociedad civil para ofrecer alternativas de subsistencia.
El crimen organizado en México se ha vuelto local, debido a la fragmentación de los carteles en subgrupos que luchan por el control de territorios cada vez más pequeños. Al mismo tiempo, el gobierno federal ha marginado a las alcaldías de sus competencias en materia de seguridad. Es necesario volver a empoderar a los funcionarios municipales para que protejan a la población.
A medida que aumenta la delincuencia en México, las mujeres corren un particular riesgo de ser víctimas de “desapariciones”, secuestros, agresiones sexuales y asesinatos. El Estado ha tomado algunas medidas para abordar esta crisis, pero puede hacer mucho más.
Mexico's crime wars are hottest in the hinterland. In this photo essay, part of a larger project on deadly violence in Latin America, Crisis Group expert Falko Ernst explains that the fronts are ever-shifting and the distinctions among combatants wafer-thin.
Uno de los negocios más lucrativos para el crimen organizado en México consiste en robar combustible y venderlo en el mercado negro. La violencia, al igual que las ganancias, está en ascenso. El gobierno ha logrado frenar este comercio, pero debe hacer frente a la colusión oficial y los problemas socioeconómicos que lo perpetúan.
Estas elecciones en México han sido testigo de múltiples asesinatos, ya que el crimen organizado busca reforzar su influencia. El gobierno tiene que seguir intentando romper los lazos entre grupos criminales y las autoridades, empezando por esfuerzos adaptados a las zonas más afectadas del país.
This week on Hold Your Fire!, Naz Modirzadeh, Richard Atwood and Ivan Briscoe, Crisis Group’s Latin America Director, talk about COVID-19’s devastation, polarisation and populism in the region, as well as the Venezuela crisis and violence in Mexico.
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