By Roberto Bustamante
The wave of violence in the mountain area of Guerrero caused the forced displacement of between 800 and a thousand indigenous families of communities located in the municipality of Chilapa de Álvarez, after a series of attacks attributed to the criminal group “The Ardillos”according to indigenous organizations and human rights defenders.
According to the National Indigenous Congress (CNI) and the Indigenous and Current Council of Guerrero-Emiliano Zapata (CIPOG-EZ), the attacks began on May 6 in the communities of Tula, Xicotlán and Acahuetán, where Armed men used drones with explosives and high caliber weapons to attack the civilian population.
The organizations indicated that the inhabitants fled their communities to take refuge in other towns in the region, while the clashes and drone overflights continue. According to testimonies released by the CNI, women, children and older adults left their homes for fear of new attacks.
Agrarian lawyer Carlos González García, member of the National Coordination and Monitoring Commission of the CNI, accused municipal, state and federal authorities of omitting actions to stop the violence.
In an interview with La Jornada, he stated that the mayor of Chilapa, Mercedes Carballomaintains alleged family ties with Celso Ortegaidentified as the leader of “Los Ardillos”.
Likewise, the CNI representative maintained that the criminal group seeks to subjugate the indigenous communities to force them to plant poppies in the region, which would have caused part of the conflict with the Nahua peoples who refuse to collaborate with the criminal organization.
The CIPOG-EZ also blamed the federal government and the government of Guerrero for the lack of protection of the attacked communities. In a recent statement, he denounced that Elements of the Army and the National Guard did not go to the area despite requests for help carried out by the residents.
Likewise, they assured that members of “Los Ardillos” operate near military installations and accused security corporations of only maintaining a surveillance presence without stopping the reported attacks.
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