31 Bodies Found in Clandestine Graves in Mexico Amid Escalating Violence
In the past few days, authorities in Chiapas, a southeastern state in Mexico, have discovered 31 bodies in clandestine graves, underscoring the escalating violence linked to organized crime in the region. The grim discoveries highlight the ongoing struggle in Chiapas, which has been deeply affected by criminal groups fighting for control of the area.
As of Monday, Jorge Luis Llaven, the state’s prosecutor, confirmed the total number of bodies found across 25 clandestine graves, including 29 men and two women. The discovery began on Saturday when the Chiapas government reported finding 15 bodies in the Frailesca region, a rural area near the Guatemala border, plagued by criminal groups for the past three years. By Sunday, two more bodies were uncovered, followed by 14 additional bodies on Monday.
Llaven assured that the state’s security and justice agencies would continue their investigations until all missing persons are accounted for. Authorities also reported the arrest of a man suspected of being involved in multiple forced disappearances in the region.
The violence is attributed to rival criminal groups battling for control of drug trafficking routes, often using abductions and extortion as methods to assert dominance. Chiapas is just one of many Mexican states where clandestine graves have been discovered in recent years. The country has experienced nearly two decades of violence linked to drug trafficking, leading to the widespread discovery of mass graves, some containing over a hundred bodies.
In a related development, authorities in the northern state of Chihuahua, which borders the United States, reported the discovery of 12 bodies in clandestine graves on Thursday, further highlighting the grim trend of violence that continues to ravage the country.
