Mexico: Spike in violence across Reynosa (Tamaulipas state)

Event

The northern border town of Reynosa (Tamaulipas state) witnessed a deadly shootout between security forces and an armed criminal group on Tuesday, May 9. A police officer, a passerby, and three members of the criminal gang were among those killed. This latest bout of violence follows two consecutive weeks of daily shootouts and homicides across Reynosa, and brings the total number of deaths to 25. All schools in the city are now closed and classes have been suspended.

This regional spike in violent attacks comes amid an upward trend in violence on the national level. According to the latest Armed Conflicts Survey 2017 by the international Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Mexico was the second most dangerous country in the world in 2016, second only to Syria, registering 25,000 deaths nationwide. The report reveals that homicides rose in 22 out of Mexico's 32 federal states, and adds that 35,433 people were forcibly displaced due to crime.

Context

Insecurity in Reynosa has significantly increased following the death of "Commander Toro," leader of the Gulf Cartel (Cartel Del Golfo), at the hands of Mexican federal forces. Additionally, according to Mexican authorities, rival Zetas cartel leader Francisco "Pancho" was also killed in Cuidad Victoria, capital of Tamaulipas state. Tamaulipas is one of the most violent areas of the country.

Violence in Mexico is spiraling out of control as cartels are adopting increasingly militarized tactics, while fierce battleground clashes for control between competing and increasingly fragmented cartels are on the rise. The deterioration of security conditions in Mexico sheds light to the failure of the state's security policies. The government's drug war has spanned a decade and claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Between 2006 and 2012, around 120,000 people were killed in cartel-related violence across Mexico, excluding disappearances.

Violence is poised to continue as long as the structural causes of insecurity such as institutional weakness, corrupt and deficient security forces, poor public services, and a political establishment susceptible to bribes, are not effectively dealt with.

Advice

Individuals in Mexico are advised to remain vigilant due to high crime rates, including muggings, kidnapping, and extortion. Keep in mind that criminals are often armed (do not offer resistance if confronted) and avoid showing signs of wealth in public.

Due to extreme levels of violence linked to the presence of various armed groups, many Western governments advise against travel to a large portion of Mexican territory, including Guerrero, Colima, Sinaloa, Michoacán, and Tamaulipas states and the northeastern border with the United States, as well as to a lesser extent Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Jalisco, Nayarit, Nuevo León, and Sonora states.