Self-Defense Movement Advances towards Yurécuaro
January 28, 2014—In the community of Yurécuaro, Michoacán, hundreds of people rose up in arms this Tuesday morning; they said that they were fed up with the injustices carried out against the citizens from organized crime.
It was approximately around 10:00 hours when the movement arose on the streets of the center of the town, which is also the county seat, where most of the economic activity is concentrated in.
Nearby communities have also taken up in arms:El Sabino, Santa Cecilia, Rancho Las Palomas, La Joya and San Antonio. It is expected that during the next few hours, other villages and towns will hopefully join.
Yurécuaro lies between the boundaries of Michoacán and Jalisco. It is in this area where multiple violent acts have been carried out such as kidnappings, the burning of vehicles, extortions, and various executions. For these reasons it is seen as a red flag for security experts, who have not addressed these acts and now its inhabitants, have decided to rise up in arms in order to defend themselves.
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| Estanislao Beltrán “Papa Smurf” |
Yesterday a leader of the Self-Defense Groups, Estanislao Beltrán, stated that they will not stop advancing and declared “We are going for the 113 municipalities of Michoacán because there is a problem in all of them. It is clear that there are bigger problems in the Tierra Caliente region.”
Sources: Aristegui Noticias, Cambio De Michoacán
Self-Defense Groups Enter Los Reyes
By: Camila Luna
January 28, 2014—Los Reyes, Michoacán—Less than 24 hours of having signed the agreement with the government; the Self-Defense Groups entered the municipality of Los Reyes, coming from the neighboring town of Peribán.
Around 300 Self-Defense members entered in a caravan to the town of El Limón, belonging to Los Reyes, then continued to the county seat where the assembly with the residents was held and thus the Self-Defense Groups were established in Los Reyes.
In the county seat, federal and municipal police and army troops guard the area, especially the city hall.
Source: Michoacán 3.0