Cartel Violence Strikes Mexican Village Amid World Cup

Cartel Violence Strikes Mexican Village Amid World Cup MEXICO Cartel drones dropped bombs on a cluster of rural communities in southern Mexico on Wednesday, deepening frustration among residents even as the government said it has tightened security for the World Cup matches. The assault began around 6 a.m. local time in Guajes de Ayala, a group of rural communities in Guerrero state. No deaths were reported. Residents of the villages said they repeatedly warned authorities that the criminal group La Nueva Familia Michoacana was preparing an assault, yet did not receive protection. Mexican authorities disputed reports of the assault, despite videos circulated by residents appearing to show explosions and gunfire, captured from civilian mountain lookouts. The attacks unfolded while 100,000 police and military personnel were deployed to safeguard World Cup venues in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. Inhabitants of the communities have expressed disappointment in national authorities as they have concentrated police forces on World Cup hubs, instead of the threatened villages. Guerrero has long been one of Mexico’s most violent states, with rival criminal organizations battling over territory used for drug trafficking and extortion. In the face of what residents described as an absence of security authorities, a civilian-led local self-defense group had already been formed in recent years. The attack comes amid renewed scrutiny of Mexico’s security strategy under President Claudia Sheinbaum, who pledged to curb cartel violence after taking office. While official homicide figures initially declined, violence has intensified in several regions following the death of Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes. Last month, gunmen killed five police officers and wounded five others in Michoacan, just a day before the World Cup opener in Mexico City.