Thirteen police officers and officials have been held hostage for a day after a violent protest in southern Mexico. The government of the state of Guerrero reported this on Tuesday. They were eventually released after negotiations between the federal government and the protesters.
On Monday, thousands of residents from the region paralyzed Guerrero’s capital, Chilpancingo. They blocked a highway, used violence against security forces and hijacked an armored police car, breaking into the grounds of local government buildings. Three hundred officers were deployed, but did not engage in confrontation.
According to Public Security Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez, the Los Ardillos crime syndicate was behind the protests that began Monday. The group demanded the release of two of their leaders, who had previously been apprehended with weapons and drugs. However, the two remain in jail, according to Rodríguez.
The government prefers dialogue, but will not be blackmailed, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said at his daily press conference. Minister Rodríguez also reported that residents were forced to participate in the protests.
Twelve police officers and members of the national guard were injured during the protest on Monday, local authorities said. According to media reports, in exchange for the release of the hostages, an agreement was made to improve the infrastructure in the region.
Numerous criminal organizations are active in Guerrero, involved in drug trafficking, extortion and kidnappings. In the state nine years ago, 43 students were kidnapped by corrupt police officers and handed over to the Guerreros Unidos drug cartel. Pieces of bone from only three young men were later recovered and identified.
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