Sinaloa cartel violence claims dozens of children’s lives in Mexico

Victims of violence between factions of the Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico include two girls, aged 7 and 12, who died on Monday. Photo / Getty Images

• Dozens of children have been killed in fighting between Sinaloa cartel factions in northwestern Mexico.
• Nearly 100 minors are missing since the capture of cartel co-founder Oscar Loza in July.
• The conflict has killed more than 1200 and left 1400 missing, severely affecting Sinaloa communities.

Dozens of children have been killed during months of fighting between two factions of the Sinaloa drug cartel in northwestern Mexico, a local ombudsman says.

Nearly 100 minors have gone missing in violence that followed the capture last July of a cartel co-founder, Oscar Loza, president of the Sinaloa State Human Rights Commission, said.

“Thirty nine minors have lost their lives in this armed conflict,” he told AFP, citing data from the public prosecutor’s office.

The victims include two girls, aged 7 and 12, who died on Monday after being caught in the crossfire between gunmen and security forces.

A 12-year-old boy was also wounded with his parents and two other relatives, authorities said.

“When will the people recover from such a deep and painful wound? Never. It will always be there, not because of numbers but the smiles that were extinguished,” Loza said.

Cartel violence in Mexico has killed more than 1200 people. Photo / Getty Images

Monday’s shooting occurred in the municipality of Badiraguato, the birthplace of imprisoned drug trafficker Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and other senior cartel figures, authorities said.

Cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada claimed last year he was kidnapped in Mexico by Joaquin Guzman Lopez, one of El Chapo’s sons, and flown to the United States in a private plane against his will.

An undated photo of cartel co-founder Ismael Zambada Garcia, or “El Mayo”. Photo / Procuraduria General de la Republica

The infighting is believed to pit gang members loyal to El Chapo and his sons against others aligned with Zambada.

The conflict has killed more than 1200 people and 1400 are missing. Residents are terrorised and the violence has dealt a heavy blow to businesses in the state capital Culiacan and other towns in Sinaloa.

Criminal violence, much of it linked to drug trafficking and gangs, has murdered 480,000 people in Mexico since 2006.

– Agence France-Presse