Sierras of Guerrero: Schools and Hospital Closed Due to Insecurity

Translated by Yaqui for Borderland Beat from: Excelsior

Schools and hospitals are closed because of the overwhelming violence in the Sierras de Guerrero

By: Rolando Aguilar

According to the inhabitants of the Sierra, there are some 50 schools that are closed, from preschool, to primary, secondary and high school levels.

Since September 5, when an attack in La Laguna occurred and shootings were reported in Puentecillas and Carrizal de Bravo, school classes were suspended, in addition, the regional hospital closed its doors; the villagers affirm that the PF and Army operatives have decreased.

Schools and hospitals of the Sierra de Guerrero continue to be closed due to the fear that exists, after the violent acts that occurred in days past in several communities of three municipalities.

Inhabitants of several villages in the Sierra, belonging to the municipalities of Tlacotepec, Chichihualco and Zumpango, confirmed that on Monday they did not restart the classes, because the teachers did not arrive , in addition the hospital remains closed and communication with Chilpancingo has not been restored with the transport vans.

During the attack of the organized crime group, in which five vehicles were burned, two of them were teachers who were going to their work centers. The transport vans service was also suspended , which has meant that people who do not have their own vehicle can not go up or down the Sierras.

While the Filo de Caballo Basic Community Hospital , which is a second-level medical unit and provides general medical care, emergencies and mainly deliveries, remains closed , as in the attack on a transport van Urvan, in which nurses traveled to work; now the staff are afraid to go back to work .

This hospital serves people from four municipalities of the Sierra and at this time to receive medical attention the residents of the entire area have to go to Chilpancingo .

The inhabitants of that zone, confirm that until the weekend there was patrol of the security forces, nevertheless, they affirm that little by little the amount of operations of the police and the Army has gone down.

For its part, the Public Security Secretariat of the state affirmed that patrols and screening filters/ revisions  are still continuing in the towns of Xochipala, La Laguna, El Miraval, Tres Cruces and El Naranjo, municipality of Zumpango; as well as in Los Morros, Campo de Aviación, Filo de Caballos, Carrizal de Bravo, Puentecillas and Corralitos, in Chichihualco.

In these operations, officers from the State Police of the Central Region, the Special Forces Unit (UFE), the Special Operations Group "Jaguar" and the Rural State Police participate, installing surveillance posts in the mentioned locations and roads of the area.

Petatlán, Guerrero:

          Due to insecurity, they cancelled ''El Grito" celebrations in Petatlán and Atoyac, Guerrero.

In recent days, in Petatlán several bodies of executed persons were found and there was a clash of organized crime groups with state police.

Before the problems of violence that have occurred in recent days in two municipalities of the Costa Grande de Guerrero , the municipalities of Petatlán and Atoyac decided to cancel the ceremony of the Independence celebration, ie "El Grito".

Through social networks, the city council of Petatlán announced that "in order to safeguard the integrity and security of the population of Petatlán, the event of the Independence Cry of September 15 and the parade of September 16 is canceled. "

In recent days, bodies of executed persons were found in Petatlán and there was a clash between organized crime groups and state police .

The macabre discovery of the bodies of 4 men who were in black bags in the back of a pick-up truck which was parked on a dirt road of the community El Tuzal; in the municipality of Petatlán, Guerrero  this past Wednesday afternoon. It was apparently off a road leading toward Zihuatenejo.

Members of the security forces arrived at the location, experts of the Prosecutor's Office and the Agent of the Public Ministry, who initiated the first investigations. The bodies were transferred to a funeral home in Zihuatanejo , qualified as Semefo, for possible identification.

According to the Quadratín Agency, high-powered weapons casings were located in the place, and the bags showed holes, apparently due to firearm impacts, for which it is presumed, that they were shot in the place. 

According to the authorities of the Atoyac town hall, after a meeting with military personnel from the 109th Infantry battalion, a decision was made to cancel the Cry of Independence ceremony for security reasons, but they ended up going ahead with the parade on Sunday, September 16th.

After violent events in communities of the Sierra de Guerrero , belonging to the municipalities of Zumpango and Chichualco, the Federal Police conducted reconnaissance and surveillance overflights with a Blackhawk helicopter in the towns of Puentecillas, Filo de Caballos and the municipality of Tlacotepec .

From the air, the federal police saw that the citizens were carrying  out their activities normally and the presence of the State Police and the Mexican Army was observed on the roads and communities .

The actions of security tours of the federal and state institutions will continue from Casa Verde and in all the communities of the territory of the municipalities of Eduardo Neri, Leonardo Bravo and Heliodoro Castillo.

Trying to protect the Sierra de Guerrero after violent acts:

Personnel of the State Police, Special Forces Unit (UFE), Tactical Group of Special Operations "Jaguar" and Rural State Police, remain in security operation and surveillance by land, in order to prevent and inhibit the commission of crimes in the area.

Establishing, in addition, police surveillance posts in strategic locations in the following towns of the municipalities of Leonardo Bravo and Eduardo Neri: Los Morros, Field of Aviation, Filo de Caballos, Carrizal de Bravo, Puentecillas, Corralitos, Xochipala, La Laguna, El Miraval, Tres Cruces and El Naranjo.

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