Mexico Mayor Murdered by Criminal Group Less Than a Week After Taking Office

ALABAMA - Violence in Mexico continues to make the headlines as turf wars between two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel are quickly spreading into other parts of the country. In recent weeks, hundreds of people including cartel members, civilians, migrants and law enforcement have died in northern Mexico, but the south is seeing elevated levels of violence as well.

Some recent cases involve a famous music band as well as attacks on members of the armed forces. Politicians are now among those being targeted at the moment.

Less than a week after swearing to protect citizens of Chilpancingo, Guerrero, as its mayor, Alejandro Arcos was murdered in what seemed to be an attack from cartels and criminal groups. Local media reported that Arcos was decapitated, but so far there has been no official information about the politician's death.

After authorities confirmed Arcos' death on Oct 6, Guerrero state governor Evelyn Salgado wrote on social media that his death "fills us with indignation" as well as reiterating her compromise to continue looking for a peaceful solution to the ongoing violence problem in the state.

According to reports from Reuters, photos that circulated on WhatsApp showed a severed head on top of what appeared to be Arcos' vehicle, but the news agency could not independently verify the photos' authenticity.

His death comes just three days after the new city government's secretary, Francisco Tapia, was shot to death. Amid the feeling of "ungovernability" in Guerrero, Alejandro Moreno, Senator and head of Mexico's PRI political party, called on the federal attorney general's office to lead the investigation into both murders.

"They were young and honest officials who sought progress for their community," Moreno wrote on social media.

This year has been a particularly violent year in Mexico for politicians and local government officials. At least six candidates for public office were killed in Guerrero in the run-up to Mexico's June 2 elections. Throughout the country, at least 24 politicians have been murdered according to official figures.

Last year was no different, with Guerrero recording 1,890 total murders in the state. The situation has escalated to the point in which the U.S. State Department is now advising Americans to completely avoid the state due to the high volume of crime and violence.

Mexico's president Claudia Sheinbaum, who was sworn in on Oct. 1, has pledged to stick to her predecessor Andrés Manuel López Obrador's strategy known as "hugs not bullets" as a way to use social policy to combat crime at its roots. Sheinbaum is expected to unveil her security plan on Oct. 8.

Sheinbaum is already taking measures to address violence in northern Mexico, where she launched a special taskforce called "Fuerza de Tarea," which along with local officials, will seek to bring order to Sinaloa's streets and face the cartels responsible of ongoing turf wars, which has resulted in over 130 deaths since September 9.