Residents are caught in the middle of a fight between two cartels

By: Elio Henríquez, Correspondent
San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas

Around 4,000 inhabitants of Frontera Comalapa marched on Monday, June 26, in the municipal seat to demand peace and tranquility.

Men and women with banners and signs that had photographs of missing persons walked about six miles from the New Mexico turnoff to Central Park without incident.

“We want people to be safe. We are united now. We were not forced to come. We are here voluntarily,” said one participant. We wear white because we want peace and quiet in Frontera Comalapa, in its neighborhoods and communities. We are merchants, transporters and inhabitants who want security for our families.”

Another person, who asked not to be named, said: “We demand that the three levels of government look at our municipality. We demand respect for our lives. All we want is to live in peace and to have the rule of law applied equally to all, not just to a few who cannot defend themselves. We are not asking for money nor are we putting up a candidate.”

For their part, residents of Frontera Comalapa who did not attend the demonstration reported that there were three lines of about four kilometers, but many people were forced to participate; In addition, the safety motorcycles of the organizers passed by all the time to keep people in the line.

They said the protesters were given plenty of water and juices, and a lot of garbage was left all along the stretch they walked.

The protesters also requested that the reinforcement of security operations on roads and in cities and communities continue.

The march took place a month after members of criminal groups exchanged gunfire during a battle in the town of Nueva Libertad, which caused the displacement of some 3,000 residents for a week, until security forces entered the municipality.

Residents said that the situation in Frontera Comalapa got worse more than two years ago, when a group separated from the Sinaloa Cartel and joined the Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG).

Both criminal organizations dispute territories in the state, leading to confrontations, disappearances and road blocks on the stretch between Frontera Comalapa and Comitán.

Shootouts between these criminal groups, and occasionally between them and security forces, occurred in the town of Chamic, about 20 kilometers from the border with Guatemala. But then a few months ago, it spread to the areas surrounding the municipal seat of Frontera Comalapa.

Among those missing (disappeared) are the president and secretary of the Nueva Libertad ejido commission , Jordán Gordillo Genovez and José Marín Carvajal Méndez, respectively, kidnapped on March 22 in the municipality of La Trinitaria. Along with them, five other members of the commission also went missing, but appeared days later.

For their part, Catholic church sources reported that they are preparing a pilgrimage for peace to take place on July 2 in the town of Frontera Comalapa, which is the municipal seat of the municipality with the same name.

Originally Published in Spanish by La Jornada, Tuesday, June 27, 2023, https://www.jornada.com.mx/2023/06/27/estados/028n1est and Re-Published with English interpretation by the Chiapas Support Committee