Terrible events have taken place in central Mexico: a clash between gunmen and members of a small farming community has left at least 14 people dead and 6 others injured.
The incident happened on Friday in the city of Tescaltitlan. According to Secretary of State for Security Andres Andrade Tellez, the military received a report on Thursday, December 7, about gunmen belonging to the La Familia Michoacana cartel. These persons demanded payment from the farmers of different communities.
A video released online the next day shows violence against people, with some of the attackers wielding machetes. That's when the first shots rang out.
Falco Ernst, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, noted that extortion from farmers has become increasingly common in Mexico in recent times. Criminal groups are changing their activities from drug trafficking to territorial exploitation.
A statement from the regional security secretariat said eight of the dead were believed to be members of the group and three were local residents. According to Mexican media, the conflict arose over disagreements over payment for "land rights," an extortion practice common in Latin America.
