Mass Exodus as Cartel Conflicts Force Hundreds to Flee in Southern Mexico's Chiapas Region

In the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, hundreds of people have been forced to leave their homes due to a violent clash between two rival cartels. The Jalisco New Generation cartel (CJNG) is attempting to gain control of the area, which is currently under the grip of the Sinaloa cartel. More than 700 residents near the Guatemala border have been displaced from their communities as a result. Reports suggest that dozens of people have been killed in recent weeks. Chiapas is known as Mexico's poorest state and has a significant indigenous population. Criminal organizations like CJNG and the Sinaloa cartel have been infiltrating the region due to its proximity to the Guatemala border and its important migrant routes and cocaine-smuggling routes. These cartels extort migrants and use the area for their criminal activities. The communities worst affected by the clashes are Chicomuselo and La Concordia. In Chicomuselo alone, 20 people were killed in a cartel battle on January 4th, consisting of 18 gang members and two locals. During the seven-hour gunfight, residents had to hide in their homes as bullets flew through the area. The community expressed their distress at seeing children and young people trembling in fear and falling ill due to these traumatic experiences. They also criticized the state for failing to protect them. However, the Chiapas state prosecutor's office released a statement denying any reports of killings in the area five days later. The military has been deployed to the region, but locals claim that they are caught in the crossfire between the security forces and the cartels. Many families have fled their homes and crossed the nearby Angostura lake by boat to escape the violence. Local journalists have described the villages as ghost towns. According to Chiapas civil protection official Luis Manuel García Moreno, 701 people, mostly women and children, have sought refuge in the city of Comitán.