Mexico: Clashes near Acapulco leave 11 people dead January 7

Event

Deadly clashes erupted between unidentified gunmen, community police, and state police in La Concepción (near Acapulco, Guerrero state) on Sunday, January 7. At least 11 people were killed in the fighting; eight people were killed early on Sunday morning (local time) as unidentified gunmen launched an attack on community police forces in La Concepción. Another three people were subsequently killed in clashes in the town between state police (assisted by Mexican army soldiers) and community police after the former advanced on the town and attempted to disarm the local police officers; state police arrested another 30 community police officers on charges of homicide and possession of drugs and illegal weapons. Additional violent clashes are possible in the area in the coming weeks.

Context

Mexico continues to suffer from high crime rates. Much of the violence in Guerrero state, similar to other Mexican states, is driven by narco-trafficking. Acapulco is generally considered to feature one of the highest homicide rates of any city in the world.

Clashes between narco-gangs and government forces are at the highest levels in Mexico since former President Felipe Calderon's war against narco-trafficking (2008 to 2011). The capture and extradition of Joaquin Guzmán (El Chapo), the former leader of the Sinaloa cartel, has led rival groups to attempt to take advantage of the power vacuum and establish stronger criminal networks.

Advice

Due to extreme levels of violence linked to the presence of various armed groups, some Western governments advise against travel to a large portion of Mexican territory, including Guerrero, Michoacán, and Tamaulipas states, the northeastern border with the US, and, to a lesser extent, Baja California, Chihuahua, Colima, Durango, Jalisco, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Sinaloa, and Veracruz states.