Alleged Members of Los Ardillos Detain State Officials in Chilapa

Residents had requested assistance from authorities following reports of missing persons.

The leadership of the Indigenous and Popular Council of Guerrero–Emiliano Zapata (CIPOG-EZ) denounced the detention of state government officials—including the Undersecretary for Political and Social Development, Francisco Rodríguez Cisneros—as they were traveling to the community of Alcozacán, in the municipality of Chilapa.

According to CIPOG-EZ leader Jesús Plácido Galindo, the state official was scheduled to attend a meeting this Monday with families displaced from the communities of Tula, Xicotlán, and Ahuehuetlán. These families had fled their homes following recent armed attacks attributed to the criminal group Los Ardillos and are currently sheltering in Alcozacán.

The organization reported that the convoy was intercepted at the intersection near the community of El Jagüey, along the Chilapa–José Joaquín de Herrera highway, where it was allegedly detained by individuals identified as rank-and-file members of Los Ardillos.

The Undersecretary for Political and Social Development, Francisco Rodríguez Cisneros, had previously reiterated that the state government—along with the institutions comprising the Coordination Roundtable for Peacebuilding—does not support any specific group, but rather stands in favor of peace and security for the population.

He highlighted that an institutional presence is being maintained in the region by the Secretariat of National Defense (through the Mexican Army), the State Police, and representatives of the State Human Rights Commission, all of whom provide ongoing support and assistance to the communities.

However, in various videos, residents of the communities have stated that they have not received any assistance and are pleading for the authorities to intervene. 

13 Reported Missing Following Armed Attacks in Chilapa

Separately, at least 13 people from the community of Xicotlán, Chilapa, have been reported missing amidst the wave of violence sweeping through indigenous communities in the *Montaña Baja* (Lower Mountain) region of Guerrero, the Tlachinollan Mountain Human Rights Center reported.

According to the organization, relatives of the victims have organized search brigades on their own—despite the risk of further armed attacks and the presence of criminal groups in the area.

“Before concluding this article, we received information from Alcozacán stating that 13 people from Xicotlán have been reported missing. Their relatives have been forced to organize themselves to search for them.

“They cannot do so with complete freedom because they know they are under siege by criminal groups. Their anguish is compounded by the fact that authorities are not coming to their aid,” the statement reads.

The organization noted that attacks in the communities have intensified since May 2, with armed men employing high-powered rifles and explosive drones to target the population.

Tlachinollan reported that hundreds of people remain displaced and in hiding; residents recounted that entire families fled into the hills and neighboring communities to seek shelter from the attacks, while indigenous women stated that they have spent nights hiding with their children, fearing they would be killed.

Furthermore, the organization warned that violence in this indigenous region of Guerrero has resulted in at least 76 murders and 25 disappearances in recent years, fueled by territorial disputes between criminal groups.

Finally, it demanded that federal and state governments implement urgent measures to locate the 13 missing persons, protect displaced families, and guarantee security within the indigenous communities of Chilapa.

Source: Milenio