In recent statements, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador blamed the U.S. government for the ongoing cartel turf war in Sinaloa that has left residents living in fear and panic. According to Lopez Obrador, if U.S. authorities had not been involved in arresting one of the Sinaloa Cartel’s top leaders, Mexico would be enjoying a period of peace right now.
This turf war is being played out between the Chapitos faction, which is loyal to Joaquin Guzman Lopez, and the faction that remains faithful to the family of recently arrested kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada. As a result of this brutal conflict, there have been dozens of murders and countless more abductions in Sinaloa.
The Mexican president’s comments were made during one of his daily news conferences, when he was asked whether the U.S. government bore any responsibility for the ongoing violence. Yes, of course they are,” Lopez Obrador answered, referring to the operation that led to Zambada’s arrest. He went on to argue that the U.S. Department of Justice should have taken into consideration Mexico’s government before taking such action.
Lopez Obrador also claimed that there was an agreement between the USDOJ and the Chapitos faction, which allowed Joaquin Guzman Lopez to surrender in order to capture Zambada. He questioned the timing of changing Ovidio Guzman’s detention status when his brother was involved in capturing Zambada.
If we are facing this situation in Sinaloa it is because they took that decision,” Lopez Obrador said. In Sinaloa, we didn’t have the violence that we have now.
As reported by Breitbart Texas, the Chapitos faction captured Zambada during a meeting with top politicians in Sinaloa on July 25. They placed him on a plane that landed near El Paso, Texas, where U.S. authorities were waiting for him. After his arrest, there was a brief period of tense calm as both factions prepared themselves, and the fighting began openly on September 9. Although Mexico’s government has confirmed 48 fatalities, unofficial accounts suggest that the death toll is much higher, causing an almost complete halt in the region’s daily life.