Second mayor killed in southern Mexico within a week

NEW MEXICO

The second mayor in southern Mexico has been killed in less than a week after visiting an indigenous community, local authorities said on Saturday.

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The murder of Acacio Flores, who represents Malinaltepec, occurred a few days after the assassination of Salvador Villalba Flores, another mayor from the state of Guerrero who was elected in the June 2 elections.

Flores’ body was discovered in the back of a van in Malinaltepec with a gunshot wound to the back of the head, a human rights activist told AFP.

The human rights activist was involved in negotiations for the politician’s release after he was arrested in an indigenous village on Thursday.

The Guerrero prosecutor said an investigation into aggravated murder had been launched; a possible land dispute was part of the investigation.

Since the start of the Mexican election campaign last September, around 30 political candidates have been killed, according to the non-governmental organization Data Civica.

In Guerrero, one of the states most affected by drug cartel violence due to its location on Mexico’s Pacific coast, 1,890 murders were recorded in 2023.