Versión Español
EspañolOn Thursday, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto acknowledged a state of institutional weakness within national security forces. This came during a speech at the 2014 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Michoacán, Mexico, has been under particular scrutiny with reports of cooperation between drug cartels and state security forces. However, the president also acknowledged the rise of local anti-cartel militias within Michoacán, and asked these groups to participate in government-sponsored security tasks.
Peña Nieto accepted the existence of genuine and organized militias or vigilantes whose objective is to protect local citizens from cartels. Peña Nieto invited these militias to join security forces by asking them “to do it by observing the principles and formalities of the law, fulfilling the requirements to become part of the security corps.”
In reference to Mexico’s insecurity, Peña Nieto expressed that the situation is not exclusive to the country, but to the entire region. It is “characteristic of a region that is facing insecurity challenges, and by that I mean Latin America,” he said.
Source: Excelsior.
