Chiapas violence: Hundreds flee cartel battles in southern Mexico - BBC News

Two rival cartels are fighting for territory in southern Chiapas state, displacing entire communities.

1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, EPAImage caption, Soldiers have been deployed to patrol the area as violence increased but locals feel not enough is being done (File photo from September 2023)By Vanessa BuschschlüterBBC NewsHundreds of people have fled their homes in southern Mexico as rival cartels fight for control of routes used to smuggle drugs and migrants.

Locals described cowering in their homes while bullets flew through their homes during a seven-hour gun fight.

More than 700 residents had been displaced from their communities near the Guatemala border, an official said.

The Jalisco New Generation cartel (CJNG) is trying to wrest the area from the grip of the Sinaloa cartel.

Criminal organisations like the CJNG and the Sinaloa cartel have been infiltrating the region because of its proximity to the border with Guatemala and important transit routes for migrants, whom they extort.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-68067681?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

---