Violence on the rise in Zacatecas, Mexico as cartel wars rage

Violence in the Mexican state of Zacatecas is worsening as clashes between the Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and Sinaloa cartels continue to dominate drugs routes to U.S. markets, as well as to the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico.

"There are ghost towns and, worst of all, entire communities completely are frequently deserted," warned Senator Geovanna Bañuelos de la Torre, coordinator of the Labor Party, on Thursday in the upper house of Congress.

Currently, several criminal organizations are fighting for control of Zacatecas and of the state’s 58 municipalities, six have fallen into extreme violence, according to data from the Secretary of National Defense.

The war between cartels caused more than 1,700 deaths in 2021, an increase of more than 30% over the previous year. The population of Zacatecas barely exceeds 1.6 million resulting in one of the highest murder rates in the country, La Jornada reported.

"We are talking about five lives lost daily every four or five hours. A young person, a woman, a minor, a cab driver or a street merchant is murdered. This is the sad daily routine in Zacatecas," said Senator Bañuelos.

On January 15, a scrap metal dealer was murdered at midday at his workplace in the city of Fresnillo, one of the most dangerous cities in Mexico. Minutes later there was a shooting on a nearby street.

Earlier that month, ten bodies were found in an abandoned van in front of the government palace, next to the city’s historic center.

Thousands of people have been displaced by the daily violence. Mexican authorities estimate that some 2,000 people have fled the state because of the current situation.

Bañuelos urged the government of Zacatecas to urgently create "a working group to build the conditions for peace.” He also asked the federal government to intensify the Support Plan for Zacatecas, which was implemented in November and could send up to 6,100 Army and National Guard troops to reinforce security measures in the state.