NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles.
This weekTwo Jesuit priests and tour guides killed in Sierra Tarahumara, Mexico,are activists, reporters, travelers and locals threatened or killed by criminals. The latest in a long line. A gangster who controls the area.
Pastor. Javier Campos, 79, and Joakin Mora, 80, have spent much of their lives serving the indigenous peoples of the region. Authoritiessaid they were shot dead on Monday at a small church in the town square of Sero Kahui with a tourist guide trying to protect them from the boss of a local criminal organization.
Tourists are attracted to the region's impressive mountains, deep canyons and indomitable Taramuri indigenous peoples. They call themselves Laramuri and are famous for running tens of miles in barefoot or leather sandals. In areas with few roads, there are wonders such as the Copper Canyon, often referred to as the Grand Canyon of Mexico, and one of the country's last passenger trains.
However, the mountain is not only a place of beauty but also a place of tragedy. The Laramuri are still largely poor for centuries when their ancestral lands were taken from them. They suffer from famine and hunger during the worst years, even in this century.
2 Jesuit priests killed in northern Mexico
Why is Sierra Tarahumara so dangerous?
Drug cartels have long used distant mountains to plant illegal crops of marijuana and poppies. In the 2000s, cartels expanded into illegal logging on the land of Laramuri, expelling and killing opponents of them. Based in Ciudad Juárez, the Larinea gang is fighting a local branch against the Sinaloa Cartel, known as the Los Salazar.
Isela Gonzalez, director of the Sierra Madre Alliance Environmental Group, said the gang is currently competing to manage local alcohol sales, blackmail and kidnapping. "Sierra Tarahumara is constantly exposed to violent climate," Gonzales said. She has just returned from the Laramuri community, Colorados de la Virgen, saying, "There is a very violent atmosphere, there are many shootouts between groups and many people are forced to flee." ..
Mexican soldiers outside the church in Selokahui, Mexico Patrol Killing two priests and a tourist guide.
Who else was killed?
In recent years, at least half a dozen Laramuri environmental activists have been killed in Sierra Rarámuri. Among them is the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize-winning logging activist Isidro Baldenegro, who was killed in 2017. Probably only Triggerman in those killings, the possible association with drug gangs was clearly not fully investigated.
Journalist Miroslava Breach was killed in 2017 by an armed group associated with the Los Salazar gang in retaliation for reporting on the relationship between drug gangs and politicians.
Perhaps the most notable was the case of Patrick Braxton Andrew, a 34-year-old American hiker who was killed in 2018 in Urique near where the Jesuits were killed. Officials at the time identified the murderer as Jose Noriel Portillo Gil, also known as El "Chueco", or "Bent". Allegedly the local boss of the Los Salazar gang, he is the same man who wanted to kill two priests.
What did the government do?
Portillo Gil was accused of killingUS touristsand was not caught, and was accused of killing two highly beloved priests. The facts have surprised many people.
"I couldn't understand why the United States didn't raise the holy hell until it caught him," says Randall Ginrich, an environmental and educational activist who has worked in Sierra for 30 years. I did. "Why wasn't there a large manhunt until this was resolved? Why could he still be there?"
then Governor of Chihuahua, Javier Corral. "Parallelically, by acting in this timid way, he promised to give exemplary punishment to the criminal and his gang who put an end to the Sinaloa Cartel. The influence and control of the region. Power. There is nothing to prevent us from catching him. "
It didn't happen. Portillo Gil remained so free to act that when the local baseball team he sponsored recently lost the match, "El Chueco" was the home of two players on the other team, according to state prosecutors. Going to, shooting one, kidnapping the other, and the same day the priests were killed, their house was on fire.
"This represents a systematic immunity," said Alejandro Hope, a security analyst in Mexico.
The priest is a picture of the two Jesuit priests killed. Congratulate the crime boss.
Who else was intimidated?
Most people working in Sierra Tarahumara report intimidation, intimidation, and drug cartel checkpoints, even on mountain highways. That atmosphere led to the cancellation of the Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon over 50 miles in 2015 after violence near the course.
Pope shocked by the killing of a Jesuit priest in Mexico
The annual race is in the Laramuri tribe Founded by Micah True, an ultramarathon rival who lived in. Inspired by their running skills, they wanted to benefit them while emphasizing their culture. It was successfully held in March of this year.
"Most people have had a really good experience," Gingrich said. "But there were some pretty suspicious people on the street. That is, Narco's presence was certainly great. The community is benefiting from (race), but something may go wrong."
Why was the priest there?
The Jesuits, known as the Jesuits, have a long history of advocating for indigenous peoples and a long-standing relationship with Sierra Tarahumara. The Jesuits began their mission among the Laramuris in the 1600s, but were expelled from all Spanish territories in 1767. This is because the colonists complained that they were robbing the indigenous labor force on a mission. They came back around 1900. The Jesuits carry out educational, health and economic projects and open seminaries there. The two murdered monks learned their language and customs and were highly regarded among the Laramuri tribe.
This is reflected in President Andres Manuel Lepes's Obrador.
Lopez Obrador declares that his government is no longer focused on detaining drug cartel leaders and temporarily praises the gang for not interfering with the elections. Even that often seems to tolerate gangsters. For Lopez Obrador, killings and other outbursts of violence occur at unpleasant times.
After the murder, a Mexican army vehicle was launched at the Sero Kahui Church in Mexico. Will arrive at.
Last year, General Glenn Vanhelk, head of the United States Northern Command, said, "Cross-border criminal gangs are frequently active in 30-35% of uncontrolled areas of Mexico. I have. " Hope calls the number "made up," but says the government is facing "the real problem of territorial control."
Mexican authorities find seven dead bodies along the roads of a popular tourist city
June,U.S.A. Parliamentary LabLopez Obrador advocates a policy that focuses on the root cause of crime, but his government has not consistently carried out anti-drug activities. Lopez Obrador's six years For more than half of his term, he has undoubtedly achieved little of his anti-corruption. " The purpose of criminal justice.