Mexico: Additional soldiers deployed to Michoacán state

Event

Security officials announced 1200 soldiers were deployed to Michoacán state over the weekend of March 17-18 due to increased levels of cartel-related violence in the Tierra Caliente area. A heightened security presence is expected in violence-prone areas of Michoacán state in the coming weeks and months.

Context

According to Mexican government statistics, intentional homicides rates in Michoacán reached 27.41 per 100,000 residents in 2017 and officials anticipate that 2018 will follow a similar trend.

Fierce turf wars between competing and increasingly fragmented cartels are on the rise in much of the country and violence in parts of Mexico is spiraling out of control as cartels adopt increasingly militarized tactics. Business owners and government figures are also targeted, and bystanders can be caught up in the crossfire.

Advice

Due to extreme levels of violence linked to the presence of various armed groups, some Western governments advise against travel to a large portion of Mexican territory, including Michoacán, as well as the states of Guerrero and Tamaulipas and the northeastern border with the US.