At least 39 minors were murdered and 97 are missing in the West, in the war that has erupted since last September between two rival Frames of the Sinaloa cartel, one of the strongest drug trafficking organizations in the country, the Mexican Ombudsman reported today.
The Sinaloa cartel was founded by Joaquin “El Chapo” Gusman, who is currently serving a life sentence in the US, and Ismail “El Mayo” Sabala, who was arrested in Texas last July. Proponents of “Mayo” accuse the sons of “Tsapo” (the “Tsapitos”) of betraying him and handing him over to the US authorities.
The conflicts broke out in September in Kuliakan, the capital of the Sinaloa state.
“Thirty -nine children have lost their lives in this armed conflict,” Oscar Losa, the chairman of the State Rights Committee (Ombudsman), told the French agency. Another 97 children were “lost” amid conflict, he added, citing data from the local prosecutor’s office.
Last Monday, two 7 and 12 -year -old girls were killed when they found themselves in the midst of an exchanging of the National Guard fire with an armed organization in the Bandiraguato community, a stronghold of “El Chapo” and other cartel leaders. Another 12 -year -old child was injured by bullets, as was his parents and other family members.
“When will society be able to recover from such a deep and painful trauma? When. (Children) will always be present, through the numbers, but their smiles will be extinguished, “Losa said.
The war between the heirs of “El Chapo” and the faction of “El Mayo” has claimed the lives of at least 1,200 people. Other 1,400 are missing. It also has profound consequences on the local economy and everyday life in the capital Kouliakan and other Sinaloa state communities.
