In Culiacán, Mexico, the city is almost at a standstill due to drug cartel conflicts

On September 13, 2024, news from Mexico City. In Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa state in Mexico with a population of one million, schools and businesses are closed due to fears of drug cartel conflicts, and Mexican Independence Day celebrations have also been canceled.

Although Sinaloa state governor Rubén Rocha and outgoing president Andrés Manuel López Obrador said that local, state and federal forces are ensuring regional security, fear still persists. Rocha said that security forces are working to reduce risks to the public, but due to security concerns, there are no celebrations during the holidays and schools are closed on Thursday and Friday.

In 2008, there was a drug cartel attack in Morelia. The governor insists that there are sufficient security forces to protect the people, but the public has a different view. Ismael Bojórquez, editor-in-chief of "Riodoce," said that the government cannot control the situation. For example, on Tuesday, a convoy of gunmen entered the city but was not stopped. The government only cleaned up after drug cartel gunfights, kidnappings and arson. Residents take preventive measures and do not send their children to school. Juan Carlos Ayala, a philosophy professor at the University of Sinaloa, said that there have been many gunfights. The city is empty and internal conflicts bring great uncertainty.

As of Wednesday, the state prosecutor's office reported deaths, injuries and kidnappings. In July, after the son of the former leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel and another leader were arrested, violence surged. Now, there seems to be a power struggle between the "Chapos" and those loyal to Zambada, while the government is accused of only watching and not taking action against drug gangs.