CJNG Attacks Lead To Suspension Of Public Activities In Ostula, Michoacán

Mica for cartelinsider.com

Residents of the community of Ostula, in the municipality of Aquila in Michoacán, have reported attacks by alleged members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in the area. This led to a halt in public works in the region.

During the morning of Wednesday, February 7, the community shared an urgent notice in which they detailed that classes and public activities were suspended to avoid any risk.

“We have decided to suspend, until there are better conditions, all public activities in the community, such as large gatherings, parties, as well as classes in all schools in our territory. We want to protect our population from any potential attacks,” reads the social media post from the Communication Commission of the Santa María Ostula community.

And the thing is, since Tuesday the 6th, the aforementioned commission reported that around 7:30 am on Monday, a group of alleged hitmen attacked the office of the Cofradía de Ostula without anyone from the community being injured. In their publication, the community directly pointed to the so-called ‘Cartel of the Four Letters’.

According to the inhabitants of the community of Ostula, during the attacks the perpetrators used “high-caliber” weapons, such as .50 caliber rifles. In addition, the presence of drones has been reported in the area, these being devices used by criminal groups on some occasions.

It should be noted that on Friday, February 2nd, the community reported an attack, apparently carried out by an armed group related to the criminal group led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, which caused injuries to a man. About 50 individuals participated in these actions, and they ended up burning a house.

“During their raid, the criminals injured a community member, who thanks to their prompt medical attention is reported to be in stable condition. Some members of our Community Guard, fulfilling their duty to protect the community, repelled the armed command and managed to force them to leave our territory.”

The community stated that they have “sufficient information” to point to the CJNG as the group behind the attacks and allege a supposed betrayal by people who allied with the criminal organization. In their statement on February 2, they shared images of a burnt blue building, as well as ballistic remnants.

In the messages about the attacks, the role of the Community Guard stands out. Last December, they obtained a permanent suspension in which a judge determined that they cannot act to the detriment of the community and they also cannot stop the activities of the mentioned guard.

The state government has not stopped criminalizing our Communal Guard even though the Sixth District Judge residing in Uruapan ordered the public authorities in the state not to carry out any act aimed at their disregard.

The state of Michoacán is a region where various conflicts involving organized crime violence have been identified. For this reason, this entity was taken as a case study to observe the transition from self-defense groups to the operation of criminal groups.

Romain Le Cour Grandmaison identified at least four phases in his work titled “Ten Years of Vigilantes: Mexican Autodefenses.” The first of these begins with the growth of the autodefenses. The second refers to the consolidation of leaders who managed to obtain resources and control drugs during the period from 2015 to 2018.

While in the third stage a break between structures is recorded, which caused the fight between the criminal group led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, El Mencho, and Cárteles Unidos. And the fourth phase identified by the author talks about an “apparent stability.”

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Mica

Email: mica@cartelinsider.com

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