mexico
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Mexico’s plan to incorporate citizen self-defense forces known as “autodefensas” into its official security strategy in the state of Michoacán is going about as well as expected. While the militias had some success in rolling back the influence of the Knights Templar cartel in their state, their reputation has been marred by deadly infighting among various factions,…
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Cross-posted with Conflict Journal This is a weekly roundup of events from 20 April to 26 April 2014. The UN Special Rapporteur for Torture, Juan Méndez, arrived in Mexico to begin an investigation into the country’s penal reforms and other aspects of the country’s law enforcement and justice systems. His visit is expected to last until May 2. Despite thousands…
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Last week Vicente Jesus Zambada-Niebla (aka “Mayito”) pled guilty to drug trafficking charges in a US District Court in Chicago. “Mayito” is the son of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada-Garcia, the man who is believed to be the current head of the Sinaloa Cartel, Mexico’s most powerful criminal organization. El Mayo likely assumed the top spot in the cartel after the recent…
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Cross-posted with Conflict Journal This is a weekly roundup of events from 6 April to 12 April 2014 This week, the LA Times called the spread of vigilante groups in Michoacán and other states “the greatest security-policy test of the 16-month-old” government of President Enrique Peña Nieto – a telling statement when one considers the situation in Tamaulipas state…
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Cross-posted with Conflict Journal This is a weekly roundup of events from 30 March to 5 April 2014 According to the president of Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi), the vast majority of violent crimes in Mexico go unreported – upwards of 90% by one estimate. A study produced by the Federal Electoral Institute, or IFE…
Mike LaSusa 