Thiloththama Jayasinghe, Jadetimes Staff
T. Jayasinghe is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Political News
The recent murder of Alejandro Arcos, who had only just begun his administration as mayor of Chilpancingo in Guerrero-after six days-made public once more how deeply entrenched violence and instability at the hands of cartels has become in Mexico. Arcos, a young politician who was committed to his community, was found dead on Sunday, less than one week after he assumed office, and only days after his City Government Secretary, Francisco Tapia, was killed. This violence string shows the danger politicians face in areas with a heavy cartel presence.
With its position on the Pacific coast's drug-smuggling routes, Guerrero has long been a battleground, especially its capital of Chilpancingo, for two rival gangs of drug traffickers: the Ardillos and the Tlacos. Politicians-often at the local level-are frequently targeted by the cartels because they are seen as an obstacle to the criminal group's attempts to dominate regions where illegal drugs are the principal economic activity. The bloodshed has taken the lives of many prominent public figures; before elections in June in Guerrero, six political candidates were murdered.
The Governor Evelyn Salgado also showed outrage for the murder, and Alejandro Moreno, a senator, asked that federal authorities intervene since the region is unstable. Meanwhile, Arcos' party - Institutional Revolutionary Party - asked for justice over his murder so that an end to violence in Guerrero be put to rest.
Since the military involvement by the Mexican government against the drug cartels started in 2006, over 450,000 people have been murdered, and tens of thousands remain missing-a gloomy picture to paint what is ongoing with the drug war, the price politicians, civilians, and whole communities pay all over the nation.
