Residents originally from Alcozacán, in the municipality of Chilapa de Álvarez, have reported that the number of displaced persons has now exceeded 1,300—including women, children, and elderly individuals—who were forced to abandon their homes and crops in order to save their lives.
They accused the government of merely feigning concern for their communities and of failing to adequately address the situation of forced displacement resulting from attacks—involving firearms, drones, and arson—perpetrated against their communities by the narcoparamilitary group known as Los Ardillos.
In a video message, they appealed for assistance to the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), the National Indigenous Congress (CNI), the Indigenous Governing Council (CIG), *Europa Insumisa*, the Sixth Civil Observation Mission, free and independent media outlets, and national and international human rights organizations, citing the indifference shown by government authorities.
They lamented: “Our children are once again sleeping out in the wilderness, in the rain, without electricity or food, trembling with cold and fear. We mothers would not be walking in the darkness, carrying our children, trying to hide from bullets and drones—not knowing if we will still be alive tomorrow, or if we will ever be able to return to our homes. Is *this* the ‘transformation’ they speak of?” They called upon the President of the Republic, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, to intervene directly in light of the acts of violence: “The Attorney General of Guerrero, Zipacná Jesús Torres Ojeda; the Secretary of Public Security of Guerrero, Daniel Ledesma Osuna; and the Secretary of Political and Social Development of Guerrero, Francisco Rodríguez Cisneros, are responsible for everything that is happening to us. They are accomplices of Los Ardillos; they have done nothing to stop them.
“The Municipal President of Chilapa de Álvarez, Mercedes Carballo Chino—who is the sister-in-law of Celso Ortega Jiménez—along with her nephew, Irving Carballo Chino, have taken it upon themselves to steal resources from our communities and divert them to Los Ardillos, enabling them to continue growing and equipping themselves with the weapons and drones they are now deploying against our towns.”
They noted that 81 of their comrades have already been murdered and 25 have gone missing: “We do not believe the excuse that access is blocked. The government possesses helicopters, weaponry, and sufficient force to enter. If they cannot guarantee the safety of the people, then what purpose do they serve?”
