Oaxaca ranks fourth in Mexico for homicides by firearm. After Guanajuato, Nuevo León, and Michoacán, it has the highest percentage of homicides committed with a firearm from January to April 2019.
The most recent figures from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP), details that in that time in Oaxaca the Attorney General’s Office opened 294 cases for intentional homicides, of which 238 were executed with a firearm, 80.9 percent.
The study of Public Safety and Justice in Oaxaca, prepared by Rogelio Salgado Carrasco, locates sociopolitical conflicts and criminal groups linked to drug trafficking, as two of the main factors that explain the growth of this problem.
He points out that under an analysis made by Eduardo Guerrero, an analyst in public security; Between 2013 and 2016, there was a very significant increase in protest events in the state, which shows a significant relationship with the number of homicides in the same period.
Likewise, he adds, in a qualitative analysis of high-profile murders, he points out that the main victims are “activists, leaders of organizations and social leaders”, and that the main motivation for these crimes is political.
He also proposes – “the operation of criminal groups linked to drug trafficking also plays an important role. Supported by newspaper reports from a national media, he points out that in recent years, Oaxaca has experienced a gradual increase in the proportion of these cases. The regions most affected by this type of violence are the Papaloapan Basin, the Isthmus, and the Coast.
His claim is supported by figures from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) which show that while in 2011 only 16 percent were related to organized crime, in 2015 these increased to 39 percent.
“Although the figure fell slightly in 2016, the risk that the phenomenon may worsen in the future remains latent, as the capacities of the institutions of security and justice in the entity are very limited.”