Michoacan News: Vigilantes Take Five More Towns

Vigilante groups have taken over five more towns in the Mexican state of Michoacan, inching ever-closer to the city of Uruapan. According to local authorities, the armed groups extended their operations towards the towns of Cutzato, Chimpala, Caratacua and Jucutacato near the Uruapan, the second-most important city in the state. The armed vigilantes also entered San Juan Nuevo Parangaricutiro. Uruapan's mayor, Aldo Macías Alejandres stated that people should go about their normal lives despite the arrival of vigilante groups.

Vigilantes in Michoacan now have a considerable presence in 14 different townships across the state. The self-defense groups installed baricades in the town of Jucutacato upon their arrival. The group took to their Twitter account, @ValorMichoacán, and posted the following: "#Jucutacato, municipality of Uruapan, has officially joined the fight against organized crim: barricades have been established, the people are happily supporting the arrival of community members from Tancitaro."

The vigilantes, sometimes called 'communitarios', argue that their advancement through the state allows them to remove the influence of the powerful Knights Templar drug cartel by removing its key members from the community of Uruapan, an area considered a focal point for organized crime by the country's security task force. The arrival of the vigilantes provoked a backlash in the area surrounding Uruapan - cartel members blocked the highway connecting Nueva Italia and Lombardía, however, the blockade was soon removed by police.