By MEXICO CITY, Mexico — At least 30 people have been killed in the past two weeks in Mexico’s northern state of Sinaloa as two rival factions of the powerful Sinaloa cartel continue to clash, authorities said Tuesday.
Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said that two military personnel were among those killed in the fighting that started Sept. 9, despite the presence of more than 2,000 security forces in the region.
The surge in violence had been expected after Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, landed near El Paso, Texas, on July 25 in a small plane with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
A damaged automobile is seen after a confrontation between armed groups, in Culiacan, Mexico September 9, 2024.
Zambada was the cartel’s elder figure and reclusive leader. After his arrest, he said in a letter circulated by his lawyer that he had been abducted by the younger Guzmán and taken to the U.S. against his will.
Now there appears to be a struggle for power between the remaining sons of El Chapo, known locally as “the Chapitos,” and those loyal to Zambada.
Mexican security forces respond at the scene of a damaged automobile after a confrontation between armed groups, in Culiacan, Mexico September 9, 2024.
Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said that 2,200 members of the armed forces and the National Guard have been deployed to Sinaloa to reinforce security, and additional military reinforcements have not been ruled out.
“We, on the contrary, are here to prevent them from having confrontations and the loss of human lives,” he added.
Police watch forensics remove bodies from a street in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo)
Although they have received reinforcements and military helicopters, Sinaloa’s Gov. Rubén Rocha suspended schools last week and festivities around Mexican Independence Day over the weekend. Schools resumed classes Tuesday.
Outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Tuesday that the Armed Forces are protecting the population and ensuring that there are no clashes between criminal groups.
President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum has said she will maintain her predecessor’s security policy.
Shell casings are seen on the road after a confrontation between armed groups, in Culiacan, Mexico September 9, 2024.
