Translated by Jesús Ronquillo / Circuito Frontera
A wave of violence swept through Ciudad Juarez as the first days of November progressed, leaving behind a grim trail of death, as 45 homicides were recorded in the city in just the first week of the month.
Click here for the spanish version
This trend has continued, as of this friday, November 10, according to the monitoring carried out by the Ficosec Citizen Observatory, the murders on this border increased to 52.
This means that, despite the statements made by authorities regarding the security issue, so far this year, the number of intentional homicides in Ciudad Juarez totals 1,025, according to the record made by this media.
Although this figure does not include the 40 migrants who died in the March 27 fire at the National Migration Institute (INM), so the number could rise to 1,065.
It should also be recalled that on thursday, november 2, a man was murdered in a house located on Zoltepec street.
During the funeral, which took place on tuesday, november 7, agents of the North Zone Prosecutor’s Office deployed an operation at the wake and arrested 11 people.
Carlos Manuel Salas, prosecutor of the Northern Zone, indicated that they went to the house after receiving a report that there were several people with weapons.
During the operation, the agents seized six short firearms, four long firearms and some narcotic substances.
He also said that the corresponding tests are being carried out to determine in which crimes the seized weapons have been used
In response to this situation, last Wednesday the meeting of the Mesa de Seguridad para la Construcción de la Paz was held, where the state attorney general, César Jáuregui Moreno, announced that they are carrying out intelligence and investigation work to combat crime, particularly after the arrest of 11 individuals.
He commented that after this arrest they expect the number of homicides in Ciudad Juarez to decrease, after the violent spate that took place during the first seven days of November. However, he assured that there are no forecasts for the next holiday season.
Likewise, the Secretary of State Public Security (SSPE), Gilberto Loya Chávez, admitted that, so far, the authorities have not achieved the best results after this wave of violence that has impacted the region during the last part of October and the beginning of November.
The police chief stated that the areas of El Valle de Juarez, Anapra and the road to Ascension, especially Santa Teresa, continue to be critical areas in terms of security, with a special focus on migrant smuggling.
New strategies and the collaboration of the different spheres of government are required to reduce violent acts on this border.
