There was neither a “shout for independence” nor military parades in several municipalities of Guerrero and Puebla after local authorities suspended the traditional celebrations due to insecurity.

Mayors in at least six Guerrero municipalities, including Atoyac de Álvarez, Petatlán, Coahuayutla, Huamuxtitlan, Cochoapa el Grande and Copanatoyac, took to social media to inform constituents that there would be no Independence Day celebrations this year.

They were concerned about exposing citizens to danger should there be violence.

In at least three of those municipalities there have been confrontations recently between gangs, including the Cartel del Sur and Los Rojos, which cost the lives of at least five people as they vie for control over opium poppy cultivation and trafficking.

State security spokesman Roberto Álvarez Heredia said security has been reinforced on the Autopista del Sol between Mexico City and Acapulco, where there has been in increase in theft.

Authorities have also reinforced security in the Montaña region and the municipalities of Cochoapa El Grande and Tlapa de Comonfort after the mayor-elect of Cochoapa was abducted two weeks ago.

Elsewhere in the state, 75 municipalities celebrated the Grito de Independencia without any disturbances to report, apart from a slight scare caused by a 3.4-magnitude earthquake.

In Puebla, meanwhile, eight municipalities suspended their independence festivities due to similar concerns over security.

Acatlán, Santa Clara Ocoyucan and Ciudad Serdán were among those that cancelled celebrations due to the violence generated by fuel thieves.

Public Security Secretary Jesús Morales Rodríguez explained that state police have been deployed for some time in the affected municipalities but conditions were such that they could not guarantee the safety of large gatherings of people.

Source: El Financiero (sp)