CULICAN, Mexico, Sept 12 (Askume) – Authorities in the western Mexican state of Sinaloa canceled national day celebrations and closed schools on Thursday as violence escalated amid internal fighting within the Sinaloa cartel, which has killed 12 people since Monday.
Shootings, gunfire and burned vehicles have become common scenes in the state capital, Culiacan, a city of about 1 million. Videos posted on social media showed a convoy of heavily armed gunmen driving down a main road in Sinaloa state, where many businesses were also forced to close.
Tensions between the two most powerful factions of the Sinaloa drug cartel have been rising since late July, when Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a smuggler and leader of one of the groups, was arrested in the United States.
The cartel leader, believed to be in his 70s, claimed he was kidnapped by senior members of another drug cartel, Los Chapitos, who took him to the United States against his will.
Rubén Rocha Moya announced the suspension of schools and National Day celebrations on 15 September, saying he was concerned about the safety of children and adolescents.
“We have to continue to take care of them,” Rocha said.
Transportation capacity in Culiacán has been reduced as many residents shelter at home and avoid going to work. Since Zambada’s arrest, the Mexican federal government has deployed more than 500 special forces troops to the state.
Outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the military was working to maintain order, adding that authorities must work “to ensure that the public is not affected and that they do not attack each other”.
