HomeNewsBriefMexico Vigilantes in Talks with Govt After Freeing Soldiers
BRIEF

Mexico Vigilantes in Talks with Govt After Freeing Soldiers

MEXICO / 9 AUG 2013 BY JAMES BARGENT EN

Self-defense groups in Guerrero, Mexico have freed detained soldiers and entered into talks with the state government in an attempt to diffuse the crisis that threatened to derail efforts to legalize the organizations within the state.

Earlier in the week, vigilante groups set up roadblocks, detained between 60 and 100 soldiers, and threatened to take over government buildings after members were arrested for carrying illegal weapons.

The self-defense groups freed the soldiers and lifted the roadblocks after the government agreed to talks, which began on August 8 between the Guerrero Governor Angel Aguirre, officials from the Interior Ministry (known by its Spanish acronym SEGOB), and members of the Regional Coordinator of Community Authorities of Guerrero (CRAC-G), reported Animal Politico.

Following the first round of talks, the commissioner for Dialogue with the Indigenous People of Mexico, Jaime Martinez Veloz, said the parties had discussed issues including what weapons self-defense groups could carry, how they would be accredited, where they would carry out operations, and how they would coordinate with the security forces, reported Informador.

Martinez estimated there were between 1,500 and 2,000 members of the self-defense groups that the government is trying to legitimize.

Self-defense groups are most prominent in the states of Guerrero and Michoacan. They argue they have to arm themselves for protection from criminal incursions, since the government's security forces have failed in this respect.

InSight Crime Analysis

Ever since the surge of self-defense groups in Guerrero began earlier this year, Governor Aguirre has looked to legalize the groups, whose origins predate the current violence and who often have strong ties to indigenous communities.

This culminated in a pact signed in April between self-defense group leaders and the governor, which was designed to resolve the issues currently under discussion -- including which weapons the groups can use. The debate is not symbolic. Criminal organizations carry high-powered weapons.

With the events of this week, it looked like that agreement had broken down, creating the potential for the sort of confrontations between the state and vigilante groups seen in neighboring Michoacan state.

However, it now appears both sides have not given up on establishing a cooperative model between self-defense groups and the authorities, although there remain many serious obstacles ahead if this cooperation is to effectively tackle the region's security crisis.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

FENTANYL / 14 JUL 2022

An announcement by the Mexican government about the largest seizure of illegal fentanyl in the country's history appeared to ignore…

MEXICO / 2 AUG 2021

After a spate of attacks on oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico this year, the shipping industry is demanding…

FEATURED / 20 SEP 2022

Authorities in Arizona are sounding the alarm about the rising use of outsiders as drivers for human smuggling.

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Paraguay Election Coverage Draws Attention 

5 MAY 2023

InSight Crime looked at the various anti-organized crime policies proposed by the candidates in Paraguay’s presidential election, which was won on April 30 by Santiago Peña. Our pre-election coverage was cited…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Cited in OAS, CARICOM Reports

28 APR 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s work was cited nine times in a new report by the Organization of American States (OAS) titled “The Impact of Organized Crime on Women,…