By Jesus Bustamante
CULIACAN, Mexico (Reuters) – Authorities in the western Mexican state of Sinaloa canceled national holiday celebrations and closed schools on Thursday due to escalating violence stemming from internal fighting within the Sinaloa cartel that has left 12 people dead since Monday.
Shootings, gunfire and burning vehicles have become commonplace in Culiacán, the state capital, a city of nearly a million people. Videos posted on social media show convoys of heavily armed men driving along Sinaloa’s main thoroughfares, where many businesses have also been forced to close.
Tensions between the two most powerful factions of the Sinaloa cartel have been increasing since late July, when the trafficker and leader of one of these groups, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, was arrested in the United States.
The cartel leader, believed to be around 75, claims a high-ranking member of Los Chapitos, another cartel faction, kidnapped him and took him to the United States against his will.
Ruben Rocha Moya, announcing the suspension of schools and national day celebrations scheduled for September 15, expressed concern for the safety of children and young people.
“We have to continue to take care of them,” Rocha said.
Culiacán’s transportation system is operating at reduced capacity, with many residents confined to their homes and avoiding commuting to work. Mexico’s federal government has deployed more than 500 special forces troops to the state since Zambada’s arrest.
Outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the military was trying to maintain order, adding that authorities “must try to ensure that the population is not affected and that they do not fight among themselves.”
(Writing: Drazen Jorgic; Editing: Christopher Cushing)
