Attack by Paramilitary Group in Cacahuatepec, Guerrero, Mexico Leaves 6 Dead and Three Minors Injured

By Ruptura Colective
Translated by El Enemigo Común

On Friday, June 9, at midday, members of the self-proclaimed paramilitary group “Union of Peoples and Organizations of the State of Guerrero” (UPOEG) attacked the house of a family in the community of Cacahuatepec, armed with rifles. The house is on Calle Ceiba, in the rural area of Acapulco, Guerrero.

The armed assault resulted in the death of three women, one man, a 17-year-old youth, and a baby of just four months. The Secretary of Security in Guerrero also reported that two minors, ages 8 and 11 respectively, and a one-year-old baby were wounded. After the attack was reported to the Acapulco Center for Emergency Assistance (CENATEM) by neighbors, the surviving children were taken to a hospital in the city of Acapulco by ambulance.

Officers of the local and state police later arrived on the scene to cordon off the site of the crime.

So far, there has not been a statement on the event by the social organizations that have been defending the territory of Cacahuatepec since 2003, when the government attempted to begin construction of the “La Parota” dam mega-project, or by the Community Police CRAC-PC — which is the only such group permitted by the community assembly to provide protection and setup roadblocks.

This is added to a list of aggressions on the part of the UPOEG, which invaded the community of Cacahuatepec without request or consent on March 7, 2017. Since then, we have made a chronological list of the violent acts on our site Ruptura Colectiva, and other independent media outlets allied with this project:

On March 20:

1) “Don Cheto”, from the community of Rincón, was beaten so badly his nose was broken.

2) Paramilitaries shot at a resident of the burial ground, wounding and abducting him.

3) In Oaxaquillas, they abducted a woman, beating her and stealing her money.

4) They injured someone for transporting iguanas, arguing that it is a crime to do so, disregarding the fact that many people depend on this to live.

On April 23:

1) A community assembly was carried out in La Concepción. At the entry to the town, the UPOEG intimidated several members of the CRAC-PC, as well as journalists.

Various traditional authorities were present at the assembly, as well as members of the Council of Ejidos and Communities Opposed to the La Parota Dam (CECOP), the CRAC-PC Community Police of Cacahuatepec and other areas in Costa Chica, Guerrero, teachers organized in the CETEG and SUTCOBACH, students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Normal School, anarchist groups, civil society organizations, and independent media organizations, in clear agreement that the incursion of the UPOEG must be rejected with all the rage we can muster.

More information is available in Spanish:

  1. ¡ALERTA! Paramilitares armados levantan y golpean a pobladores de Cacahuatepec en Acapulco
  2. Preparan resistencia en Cacahuatepec, Guerrero, ante la presencia de grupos paramilitares y despojo del territorio