01/11/12– The Government of Mexico released an official report January 11, stating that 12,903 people had been assassinated between January and September of 2011 as a result of drug related violence. The numbers represent an increase of 11% in the number of homicides in comparison to 2010 and has brought the death toll of the so-called “War on Drugs” to 47,515 deaths since President Calderón began his anti-narcotics campaign in December 2006. Of the total deaths, 10,200 were executions, 1,652 were encounters with authorities, 740 were direct aggression attacks, and 340 were a result of clashes between organized crime groups.
The Attorney General (Procuraduría General de la República, PGR) stated that the “violence remains concentrated in certain areas of the country.” The official report declares that Ciudad Juárez is the most violent city in Mexico, as it is an area of dispute between the Sinaloa and Juarez cartels, a dispute that has contributed to 1,206 of the 2,276 total deaths in the state of Chihuahua. The tourist destination of Acapulco comes in as the second most violent city contributing 795 deaths to the overall death toll. The report indicates the top six state contributors of violence by noting that Chihuahua registered 2,276 homicides, Guerrero with 1,533, Tamualipas with 1,153, Sinaloa with 1,100, Veracruz with 538, and Baja California with 250.
The Attorney General also pointed out that “2011 is the first year that the death rate is less than previous years.” He indicated that from 2010 to 2011, the amount of deaths increased by 11% compared to 2009 to 2010 when it increased 70%, while from 2008 to 2009 it went up 63%, and finally it increased by 110% from 2007 to 2008.
The report according to the Attorney General was calculated according to information that was given to local authorities of the Federal Government. He added that the authorities are utilizing the available legal and technological capacities to assist state government in their investigations. The last report to be released by the Federal Government was in January of 2011.
Sources:
“PGR cifra en 12 mil 903 homocidios por rivalidad en 2011.” El Universal. January 11, 2012.
“México registra más de 47 mil muertos en lo que va del sexenio.” Univision. January 12, 2012.
Great report! This is a slightly larger increase than we anticipated (Reforma’s figures suggested that the increase would be about 6-7%). However, 11% is the smallest increase in violence since the start of the Calderón administration, which offers at least some small hope that the rate of killing could continue to slow down in the coming year. Let’s certainly hope so.
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