Mexico's president calls on Sinaloa cartel to act “responsibly” as violence escalates in the north

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Friday urged warring factions of the Sinaloa cartel to act “responsibly” to prevent anyone else from being killed after violence in the Sinaloa state capital of Culiacán nearly paralyzed the city for a week.

When asked by a journalist whether he trusted that the cartels would heed his call, López Obrador replied bluntly: “The president of Mexico is always listened to.”

“Even by criminals?” the journalist pressed.

“By anyone, and even more so if one has moral authority,” replied the President.

The exchange during the president's morning press conference on Friday is the latest in a series of instances in which López Obrador has downplayed clashes between factions of the Sinaloa cartel.

The president, who will leave office on September 30, has repeatedly refused to confront the cartels and has offered various justifications for his “hugs not bullets” strategy, which offers opportunities to young people so they do not join the cartels.

The recent clashes in Culiacán are the latest example of the violence that continues to plague Mexico, where gangs are resorting to increasingly sophisticated methods of warfare, including roadside bombs or improvised explosive devices, trenches, homemade armored vehicles and drones that drop bombs.

The cartels “must look for other ways to avoid harming innocent people … and to avoid further loss of life,” López Obrador said on Friday. “They should also take care of themselves and their families.”

The increase in violence had been expected after Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, landed in a small plane with Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada near El Paso, Texas, on July 25.

Zambada was the oldest and most reclusive leader of the cartel. After his arrest, he stated in a letter distributed by his lawyer that he had been kidnapped by the younger Guzmán and brought to the United States against his will.

Now there appears to be a power struggle between El Chapo’s remaining sons, known locally as “the Chapitos,” and Zambada’s followers.

As of Thursday, state authorities reported at least 12 deaths, 11 people with gunshot wounds, 20 missing persons and 31 car thefts. The actual death toll is likely higher, as gangs often pick up their own dead.

The streets of Culiacán appeared empty as schools and businesses remained closed Friday and Mexican independence celebrations on September 15 and 16 were officially canceled by the local government.

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