A violent start to the term of Mexico's new president raises questions about strategy, the army

MEXICO CITY -- In conscionable complete 3 weeks successful office, President Claudia Sheinbaum has inherited a whirlwind of unit that galore opportunity was group up by her predecessor’s argumentation of not confronting supplier cartels, and utilizing nan service for law-enforcement.

Sheinbaum, who took agency Oct. 1, would alternatively beryllium talking astir nan government's scheme to make each judges guidelines for election.

But instead, she has had to woody pinch the army’s sidesplitting of six migrants connected nan time she took agency and nan death of 3 bystanders astatine nan hands of soldiers i n nan separator metropolis of Nuevo Laredo 10 days later. They were killed by service and National Guard troops pursuing supplier cartel suspects.

Sheinbaum's 3rd week successful agency was capped by the execution of a crusading Catholic priest who had been threatened by gangs, and a lopsided brushwood successful bluish Sinaloa authorities successful which soldiers killed 19 supplier cartel suspects, but suffered not a scratch themselves. That awakened memories of past quality authorities abuses, for illustration a 2014 incident successful which soldiers killed astir a twelve cartel suspects aft they had surrendered.

“It is each very disappointing, and it looks acheronian for nan future,” said Santiago Aguirre, nan caput of Miguel Agustín Pro quality authorities center. “Everything is breaking down, and alternatively of taking attraction of these privilege issues, each nan government's governmental superior is being wasted connected a judicial betterment that will origin much problems than solutions.”

Sheinbaum has said each nan incidents are nether investigation, but she has dedicated only a fewer minutes successful her first 3 weeks successful agency to talking astir them, compared to nan hours she has spent extolling nan virtues of nan judicial reform. She says electing judges will remedy corruption.

But critics statement nan existent problem isn't corrupt judges releasing suspects; it's nan truth that civilian constabulary and prosecutors person been truthful under-funded and ill-trained that complete 90% of crimes ne'er make it to tribunal successful nan first place.

It was Sheinbaum's predecessor and governmental mentor, erstwhile President Andrés Manuel López Obrador — who near agency Sept. 30 — who decided to make nan equipped forces nan centerpiece of his information strategy and springiness up connected nan slow, dependable activity of reforming constabulary and nan judiciary to guidelines retired corruption.

Sheinbaum has vowed to proceed each of López Obrador's policies, including nan “hugs, not bullets” strategy of not confronting nan cartels, but alternatively seeking to drain nan imaginable excavation of recruits done scholarships and occupation training programs.

López Obrador grounded to importantly trim Mexico's historically precocious homicide rate, but nan charismatic erstwhile president had a talent for depicting himself arsenic nan victim, brushing disconnected past incidents and accusing media reports connected unit arsenic “sensationalism” meant to smear him.

But since Oct. 1, nan abuses person travel truthful accelerated that Sheinbaum has had neither nan charisma nor nan clip to brushwood disconnected nan incidents. On Thursday, a supplier cartel group disconnected 2 near-simultaneous car bombs successful nan authorities of Guanajuato, injuring 3 constabulary officers and strewing burning wreckage crossed streets.

“It is putting her and nan caller management to nan test,” acknowledged Juan Ibarrola, a subject expert who is adjacent to nan equipped forces.

There is nary denying that Mexico's supplier cartels are heavy equipped and intent connected location domination. How to reply that situation has stumped 4 successive statesmanlike administrations successful Mexico.

“It is unfortunate, but nan usage of unit by nan Mexican authorities is necessary” to meet nan challenge, Ibarrola said.

As if to exemplify that, connected Friday Mexico's apical civilian information official, Omar García Harfuch, recounted a massive, hours-long onslaught Thursday by a convoy of cartel gunmen walking successful 16 vehicles — immoderate armored — successful nan confederate authorities of Guerrero.

Garcia Harfuch said nan attackers utilized afloat automatic instrumentality guns, explosive devices and .50-caliber sniper rifles successful nan moving gunbattle pinch soldiers and police.

Again, nan decease toll was lopsided: 17 suspects and 2 constabulary officers were killed. But nan service — which is now successful complaint of nan quasi-military National Guard, nan country’s main rule enforcement agency — appears to beryllium reacting to 3 weeks of astir unceasing bad press.

The Defense Department was speedy to administer photos of slug holes successful service vehicles, and stressed that 3 soldiers were wounded successful nan fight.

The bluish separator metropolis of Nuevo Laredo, crossed from Laredo, Texas is possibly nan clearest illustration of what happens erstwhile a military-led information strategy locks horns pinch a heavy equipped supplier cartel. That's wherever nan 3 civilians — including a caregiver and an 8-year-old woman — wherever killed by troops successful abstracted incidents connected Oct. 11 and 12.

Raymundo Ramos, nan caput of nan non-governmental Human Rights Commission of Nuevo Laredo, has been fighting for justness successful civilian deaths astatine nan hands of subject forces location for years.

Asked astir nan October incidents successful different parts of Mexico, including nan violence-wracked bluish authorities of Sinaloa, wherever rival cartels are battling, Ramos said he fears nan subject strategies of “shoot first, inquire questions later” that person been utilized successful Nuevo Laredo are now spreading crossed nan country.

“It is nan aforesaid measurement they run successful Nuevo Laredo,” Ramos said. “They are nan aforesaid orders crossed nan full country. ‘don’t time off witnesses, dormant men don't talk.'”