Armed Group Trying To Overthrow Hipólito in La Ruana

Update: Additional Info

He received $1,500 pesos (~$113) from every templar of La Ruana in order
to let them roam freely in his group in Buenavista

A group of 400 people today laid siege to the municipality of La Ruana, Michoacán, allegedly demanding that the self-defense spokesperson, Hipólito Mora, be removed from his position.

Other versions indicate that they are members of the Knights Templar who are besieging the municipality.

According to press reports, the protesters are led by Luis Torres “El Americano”, one of the leading advocates of the armed movement in the municipality of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, along with Hipólito Mora and Estanislao Beltrán.

This would mean that there is a movement of dissatisfaction within the self-defense movement. A few other groups have enough weapons: with them they have faced against organized crime.

Hipólito Mora

In an interview with Denise Maerker, Mora said that “El Americano” has placed roadblocks at the entrance and in the center of La Ruana where he arrived with about 50-60 trucks.

He explained that when the movement started, that guy, “El Americano”, wanted his village, about 15 minutes from La Ruana, to rise up in arms, “then…I don’t know what happened to the Templarios, he came and was here behind us, he lasted for about two months, after one or two months we liberated Buenavista, and I told him, if you want to go over there then go, and he went, he stayed as the leader of Buenavista.”

He indicates that “the problem that’s occurring now is that he’s surrounded by pure Templarios”.

Hipólito Mora also mentioned that “El Americano” intends to disarm them but they won’t let him, “there are only a few of us right now, we won’t let him. The reason for him to take over La Ruana is because he is supported by all his drug trafficking friends: “El Chayo” and “La Tuta”.

He said that those who made up the self-defense movement didn’t run them off, they went with the ‘Templarios’, “they cooperated in order to attack us, to kill us; they couldn’t, now they have time to get into the village but the village rejects them”.

He noted that some have joined with “El Americano”; they even have credentials of being self-defense members and are armed; they are the ones who want to kill us in order for it to be calm like it was before.

Mora also mentioned that they (Americano) took away three ranches from them (Mora) that were previously taken from the Templarios. “but that doesn’t interest me, I didn’t do it for economic reasons, they came and entered and we didn’t want to provoke a confrontation between us, anyway the ranches aren’t ours”.

The authorities are aware of this situation and the self-defense groups of Tepalcatepec are with La Ruana.

Throughout social networks, La Ruana was declared to be on high alert.

“#AlertaMáximaLARUANA. All of the hitmen of “El Americano” are arriving to La Ruana, all of them are armed, there’s going to be clashes, be on high alert”

Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Interior, Miguel Angel Osorio confirmed that a tense situation is prevailing in the municipality of La Ruana, where he said that the Federation is already intervening in order to prevent any violent events.

At a press conference, held at the Hospital Rural de Buenavista, Osorio Chong said “The acts of violence between the self-defense groups are a lost cause so I express that they should seek dialogue in order for them to achieve tranquility in the area.”

In turn, the news agency Quadratín reported that clashes have already been reported. They also reported that Hipólito Mora has called for his followers to concentrate on their base of operations; while the leader of La Huacana, “El Americano”, also called on his followers to come together at the center of this location.

“El Americano” has taken off his mask, he doesn’t care if the people see him with the Templarios and “I’m aware of these statements that I’m making, that maybe they’ll tell him, maybe right now they’ll come here but we are here fighting for the good and the fight is always clean with us, with the movement; I’m with the people seeking freedom from the Caballeros Templarios.”

Pictures from SOS Michoacan's Facebook page showing how the situation was: