SEATTLE - As ongoing turf wars between two Sinaloa Cartel factions continue to ravage parts of northern Mexico, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is expected to visit the state of Sinaloa in the upcoming days.
Ever since "Los Chapitos" and "La Mayiza" started a violent conflict for drug smuggling territories and control of the Sinaloa Cartel, hundreds of people have been killed while nearly 1,000 more have gone missing due to daily clashes between the two cliques and military personnel.
According to data from Sinaloa's Attorney General's Office, more than 500 homicides have been reported in the entity since Sept. 9 when the conflict erupted. The arrests of Joaquín Guzmán López and Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada prompted both factions to go to war, elevating Sinaloa's daily rate of homicides to about six every 24 hours.
The announcement of Sheinbaum's scheduled visit to Sinaloa was confirmed on Dec. 10, during a public safety assembly that counted with the presence of all governors as well Omar García Harfuch and Alejandro Gertz Manero, two of Mexico's top security officials.
During the assembly, Sheinbaum added that Sinaloa will not be the only entity she visits during her work trip. She also has plans to visit the states of Chihuahua and Sonora, places where drug trafficking cartels count with a strong presence due to its proximity to the U.S.
Besides announcing her visits to northern Mexico, Sheinbaum told governors present at the assembly that she is convinced the strategy put in place will help authorities reduce the amount of crimes taking place across the country.
"When people ask me if our strategy is going to work...I am convinced it will and we already have good results in some areas," Sheinbaum said.
Sheinbaum is expected to visit Sinaloa on Dec. 22. And despite the wave of violence that has punished the region, she said her visit is not due to the elevated cases of cartel-related activity in the state.
Sheinbaum's security strategy
Since replacing Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) in October, Sheinbaum has shifted from her predecessor's "hugs, not bullets" strategy of combating organized crime groups to a more proactive approach.
As a result, several special task forces and other operations have been created to combat the latent threat of organized crime groups.
That was the case in Central Mexico, where officials implemented a special operation called "Operación Enjambre" with the aim of apprehending and bringing down the network between local government officials in the State of Mexico suspected of having ties with drug trafficking cartels.
Northern states have also seen the implementation of other strategies, such as Sheinbaum's Security Strategy for the First 100 Days, which singled out 10 municipalities that are key for cartels in their drug enterprise.
Earlier this month, Mexico's Secretary of Security and Public Safety Omar García Harfuch said in a press conference that violence in Sinaloa has been "contained," adding that authorities in Culiacán are now receiving more theft reports than other crimes.
Harfuch attributed the results to Sheinbaum's deployment of the National Guard in Culiacán among other initiatives, expressing confidence in the federal government's efforts to curb cartel-related violence but acknowledged that the results would not be immediate.
"This will be resolved, but it's not something that happens overnight," he said.
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