@Proceso
On October 9th, around five thousand people, men and women dressed in white, held a peace march in Motozintla de Mendoza, in the Sierra Madre to demand that state and federal authorities stop the violence generated by the turf war between organized crime groups that have affected the area for more than two years.
At a subsequent rally, they stated: “Today we are marching for peace, we want security, we want protection from the federal government and the state government of Rutilio Escandón Cadenas. Today we are present in a march to remind the powers of the government that a lot of violence is being generated here in this region of Chiapas.” They stressed that this violence not only affects their municipality but also those of Frontera Comalapa, Chicomuselo, Siltepec, Mazapa de Madero, Amatenango de la Frontera, Bellavista, La Grandeza and El Porvenir. “All these towns are suffering from violence. What we ask of the government is peace”, they said.
“What we want is for the government of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to do its job. In that area of security, this man has failed us. They have failed us there. There is no point in giving us farmers those Sembrando Vida cards, and scholarships for children and support for the elderly, if there are no banks to collect it, because with the insecurity they have all closed”, said one of the spokespersons. It is worth remembering that in this town classes have been suspended for several weeks, shops do not open every day, transportation operates at half its capacity and many daily activities cannot be carried out normally.
It was the second mobilization in less than a week that the inhabitants of Motozintla carried out with the same demand: “tranquility and peace in our beloved municipality.”
For more information in Spanish:
Marchan 5 mil personas para demandar paz y seguridad en Motozintla (La Jornada, 10 de octubre de 2023)
“No al cobro de piso, si a la paz” claman en marcha contra violencia del crimen organizado en Motozintla (Proceso, 9 de octubre de 2023)
En Motozintla marchan por la paz, desapariciones y violencia no han cesado (El Heraldo de Chiapas, 9 de octubre de 2023)
Realizan marcha en Motozintla, piden que cese la violencia (Meganoticias, 9 de octubre de 2023)
For more information from SIPAZ:
Chiapas/National: Over 200 Organizations Speak out against Increase of Violence in Chiapas (October 3, 2023)
Chiapas: Continúan disputas por el control territorial en zona fronteriza dejando a la población incomunicada y con escasez de alimentos (September 25, 2023)
sipazen.wordpress.com 