World · Latin America · 38 mins ago
Hundreds flee organized-crime violence in Chihuahua’s Sierra Tarahumara
Civil society groups say hundreds of people have fled communities in Guadalupe y Calvo, in Mexico’s Chihuahua state.
The communities are in the Sierra Tarahumara, a mountainous region near the borders with Sinaloa and Durango.
The groups say organized-crime violence has intensified, with families caught in clashes and forced from their homes as armed groups seize land and property.
Displaced people seeking shelter outdoors lack food, cover and medical care, and older residents face particular difficulty fleeing.
Chihuahua’s public security authorities told the groups that local forces are overwhelmed and unable to stop the violence.
The communities and organizations are asking federal and state authorities for an urgent, lasting military presence, temporary shelters, medical care and a plan for safe returns.
They say emergency responses alone are not enough and want a plan to address displacement in the short, medium and long term.
Civil society organizations reported that hundreds of people have been forcibly displaced from communities in Guadalupe y Calvo, Chihuahua.
They attributed the displacement to escalating organized-crime violence in the Sierra Tarahumara.
Families fled amid clashes and the seizure of property, while displaced people reportedly lacked food, shelter and medical care.
The organizations and affected communities called for military intervention, temporary shelters and a plan for safe return.
- Who
- Hundreds of people from communities in Guadalupe y Calvo, including Rarámuri families.
- What
- They were forcibly displaced amid organized-crime violence, according to civil society organizations.
- When
- In recent days, according to the organizations.
- Where
- Guadalupe y Calvo, in Chihuahua’s Sierra Tarahumara, near the borders with Sinaloa and Durango.
- Why
- Organizations said organized-crime groups escalated violence and sought control of territory and property.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Civil society organizations registered the displacement of hundreds of people from communities in Guadalupe y Calvo.
The organizations and affected communities presented demands to the president and federal security and defense officials.
- Displaced people
- Hundreds
- Municipality
- Guadalupe y Calvo
- State
- Chihuahua
- Region
- Sierra Tarahumara, also known as the Golden Triangle
- Organizations signing the statement
- 10
- Groups named among the signatories
- Alianza Sierra Madre, CEDEHM, Tlachinollan and Red TDT
What people are saying
Organized crime is currently creating conditions of violence in mountain communities.
The Chihuahua Public Security Secretariat has told this Mission that it is overwhelmed, that it lacks the capacity to confront criminal violence, and that only the Army has the equipment necessary to guarantee the protection of the civilian population.
Older adults are the ones with the least ability to flee because of their mobility limitations; some are even staying: they would rather die in their homes than leave them; their attachment to the territory is stronger than this violence.
The authorities have intervened only to address the emergency, as in this case, but it is urgent to implement a comprehensive plan to address forced displacement in the short, medium and long term.