Months of violent conflict between rival factions of the Sinaloa drug cartel in northwestern Mexico have led to the deaths of dozens of minors, according to a local human rights official.
Oscar Loza, president of the Sinaloa State Human Rights Commission, reported on Friday that nearly 100 minors have also been reported missing since the surge in violence following the capture of one of the cartel’s co-founders last July.
“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 seven 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 along 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.
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.
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Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a founding figure of the Sinaloa cartel, alleged last year that he was abducted in Mexico by Joaquin Guzman Lopez—one of the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán—and forcibly flown to the United States aboard a private aircraft.
This incident is emblematic of the deepening rift within the cartel, with internal hostilities reportedly pitting factions loyal to El Chapo and his sons, known collectively as “Los Chapitos,” against those aligned with Zambada.
The violent power struggle has exacted a devastating toll, leaving over 1,200 people dead and another 1,400 missing. Communities in Culiacán—the capital of Sinaloa—and surrounding towns have been gripped by fear, while local economies suffer under the weight of ongoing insecurity.
Since 2006, when Mexico launched its militarized crackdown on organized crime, criminal violence—much of it tied to drug cartels and gang warfare—has claimed the lives of an estimated 480,000 people across the country.