Eleven days after the ambush and murders of 10 indigenous musicians in Chilapa, Guerrero, officials of all three levels of government launched a joint security operation in the municipality on Tuesday.

Chilapa Mayor Jesús Parra García, Guerrero Governor Héctor Astudillo and federal security official Jesús Valencia Guzmán inaugurated a joint force made up of 130 members of the state police, the National Guard and the army at a security meeting on Tuesday morning.

The force is now patrolling the area between the town of Rincón de Chautla and the municipal seat, which includes the slain musicians’ hometown of Alcozacán. Communities in Chilapa have come under attack on numerous occasions in recent years by Los Ardillos, a drug gang whose members were allegedly responsible for the murders of the musicians on January 17.

Governor Astudillo said that the security operation would guarantee security for local communities. He renewed his call for residents to refrain from training children to be community police because such training violates their rights.

Nineteen children aged between 6 and 15 were presented as community police-in-waiting in Chilapa last week, triggering criticism from federal and state officials and human rights groups.

The leader of the regional community police force CRAC-PF said that the purpose of the mobilization of the budding vigilantes was to pressure the state and federal government to enact measures aimed at reducing violence.

Located in a mountainous region east of state capital Chilpancingo, Chilapa has long been considered one of Guerrero’s most dangerous municipalities.

Source: Milenio (sp)