The government of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has announced it will strengthen its military and official presence in the western state of Michoacan.
Sunday’s announcement followed outrage over the Nov. 1 assassination of Carlos Manzo, the mayor of the city of Uruapan in Michoacán, who was outspoken about tackling drug crime.
“In recent days, we have seen pain and outrage over the cowardly murder of the mayor of Uruapan. We share that sentiment. His cowardly murder has hurt all of Michoacán and the entire country,” Sheinbaum said in presenting the plan with his cabinet.
What do we know about the plan for the state of Michoacan?
One of the fundamental pillars of the Michoacán Plan for Peace and Justice is the reinforcement of the 10,300-strong military and National Guard presence.
Sheinbaum said that under the plan, about 2,000 additional security forces would be sent to the state on Monday.
Officials told a news conference that the mission of federal forces is to crack down on criminal groups, combat extortion and destroy drug laboratories and training camps.
The plan also includes social work, such as scholarships for students and encouraging youth to participate in sports to prevent them from being recruited into crime.
The government will also increase resources in sectors like agriculture and tourism.
It will involve an investment of 57 billion pesos ($3.10 billion, €2.68 billion), Sheinbaum said.
Why was there so much anger over the murder of the mayor of Urupan?
Carlos Manzo, the mayor of the city of Uruapan in Michoacán, was assassinated at a public event during Day of the Dead celebrations on 1 November. She had handed her child over to someone else when a hooded gunman shot her seven times.
Manzo was a vocal critic of the federal government for not doing more to combat organized crime.
He was the seventh mayor to be killed in the state since 2022, according to the United Press International news agency.
Manzo’s killing sparked protests in his community and elsewhere, putting pressure on Sheinbaum’s government to act on the worsening security crisis.
How bad is cartel crime in Michoacán?
Michoacán’s location west of Mexico on the Pacific Ocean has helped it become Mexico’s center of drug production and trafficking.
The state, with a population of 4.7 million, is a center for the production of synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, as well as methamphetamine, heroin and cannabis.
Extortion from citrus and avocado growers is also a lucrative source of income for the cartels.
Citrus and avocado growers in Michoacán have been reporting extortion, kidnappings and murders linked to cartel violence for years.
In October a leader of lime growers was murdered after repeatedly denouncing extortionate demands.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar