01/03/12 —Primary newspapers such as Reforma, El Milenio and La Jornada have reported varying numbers between 11,890 and 12,359 deaths in 2011 as a result of drug related violence. The roughly 12,000 deaths last year adds to a suspected death toll between 49,969 and 51,918 persons since 2006, which is when the Mexican government began a military offensive against the drug cartels by placing more than 80,000 security agents– mostly members of the military– in specific locations throughout the country where drug related violence was spiking.
While various news sources have already provided their estimates of the death toll for 2011, the government of Mexico will release its official report in the first half of January, according to the press office of the attorney general. At the beginning of 2011, the government stated that there had been a total of 34,612 homicides since December 2006, and 15,273 of those had occurred in 2010.
Reports have highlighted the intense and grotesque violence used in the 2011 homicides, noting the publicity of much of the violence, including the display of decapitated and dismembered bodies in public locations such as parks, schools, and on the front porches of rival cartel members. The intensity of the violence has increased dramatically since the beginning of the drug war; the Zetas and Sinaloa cartels have been often noted as two of the most notoriously violent of those operating in Mexico.
Sources:
“México: 12.000 muertes vinculadas a la lucha anti-drogas en 2011.”AFP. January 2, 2012.
“México: 12 mil muertes vinculadas a la lucha antinarco en 2011.” Univision. January 2, 2012.
