“There are more deaths in Guanajuato”

MEXICO CITY.- The president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador downplayed the wave of violence in Culiacan, Sinaloa by ensuring that more is said wilful homicides in other parts of the country.

This Wednesday, for the tenth consecutive day, there has been a security crisis in Culiacán that has left 40 dead due to confrontations.

The Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) indicated that the violence in Culiacán is generated by an internal war between two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel following the arrest in the United States of its co-founder, Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada.

AMLO downplays violence in Culiacan

During his morning press conference, President López Obrador said that the media is exaggerating the violence in Culiacán as part of a “campaign to discredit” his government.

The president even indicated that Guanajuato surpasses Sinaloa in homicides that occurred in the last two weeks.

“There have been more intentional homicides in Guanajuato than in Sinaloa. Although comparisons are in bad taste and it is very ugly to compare,” he said.

AMLO complains: They kill more in #Guanajuato that in #Sinaloaand they don’t publish that pic.twitter.com/mLBhIKXKLs

— Manuel Lopez San Martin (@MLopezSanMartin) September 18, 2024

According to AMLOfrom September 6 to 17 40 intentional homicides were recorded in Sinaloa and 102 in Guanajuato, that is, more than double.

He also hinted that the crisis was not related to the arrest of ‘El Mayo’, since this occurred more than a month ago and the situation in Culiacán began 10 days ago.

“I’ll give you a figure, since the crisis in Sinaloa began 10 days ago, because the arrest or kidnapping of Mayo (Zambada) was longer ago – July 25 – and there were about 15 days in which there was no violence and suddenly it broke out.”

This contradicts the general’s version. Luis Crescencio Sandovalhead of Sedena, expressed in the ‘morning’ this week.

“It is a campaign to discredit me”: AMLO on Sinaloa

From the National Palace, AMLO said that the media coverage of the situation in Sinaloa “is to induce fear in the population.”

This is part of a campaign to discredit his government just days before it ends.

“The news about Sinaloa […] “It is wrapped in propaganda of lies, sensationalism and alarm to induce fear in the population,” he said.

Once again, and with only nine more ‘morning press conferences’ in the six-year term, he said that the media are “sellouts” and “hired” who have used social media to discredit his image and his administration.

“It is a campaign that tries to discredit the government that I represent and they have not been able to, nor will they be able to, because the people of Mexico are a big part.”

AMLO said that the alleged campaign against him has not worked because his “adversaries” have no moral authority.

“They are very hypocritical, very corrupt, they are fascists, they are very authoritarian,” he said.

“Anyone who has the power to make you believe nonsense has the power to make you commit injustice.” Voltaire.#Sinaloa #Michoacan #Zacatecas #Veracruz etc, violence in everything #Mexico to #AMLO It is “propaganda” “lies” “sensationalism”, he will never accept his ineptitude pic.twitter.com/6M1oAE5QpC

— M Vinicio Aguilera (@mvinicioag) September 18, 2024

“I would like to take this opportunity to tell the citizens of Sinaloa that we are following up on the problem and that we are acting in a professional and responsible manner,” he added in a message to the population.

“There are elements of the Armed Forces in Sinaloa whose first mission is to protect the civilian population. […] And second, to prevent the groups that are in conflict from clashing, and that is what we are doing.”

“However, our adversaries are using this to intimidate and I hope that little by little the situation in Sinaloa will normalize,” he concluded.

AMLO’s statements today were made moments before he was questioned about a letter from Genaro García Luna accusing his government of having ties to drug trafficking and the alleged existence of evidence proving this.

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