In an interview with the Reforma newspaper on election day, Sunday July 4, Raul Vera Lopez, Bishop of the Saltillo Coahuila Diocese said the upsurge in violence in the states is derived from agreements between the drug cartels and elected officials, whether motivated by corruption and greed or just plain fear.
Further, he says that many journalists are owned by cartels and that the government’s attempt to team up with one cartel to fight other cartels is doomed to failure (as well as being utterly corrupt.)
“The bad thing is that when a ruler has a commitment to one drug cartel, other cartels will come and begin fighting among themselves.The worst thing is for a state government to commit to a particular cartel because people from other cartels become much more fierce and begin to wage war for the ‘plaza’ or territory” he explained.
The bishop has been threatened by the military for championing the rights of sex workers allegedly raped by Mexican soldiers. He also advocates for the parents and family of those “disappeared” in the drug wars, and for immigration reform, as well as speaking out against the drug mafias. A brave man.
I’ve heard elsewhere rumors and allegations that the government of Mexico is partnering with certain cartels against others. If so, then who can citizens trust? No one, apparently. And the power of the government to enforce laws then becomes impotent.