Human Rights Watch: 'Mexico's Response to Vigilante Groups Insufficient' Agence France-Presse
go to original January 25, 2014

Vigilantes battling a powerful drugs cartel in Mexico have taken control of some areas of the western Mexican state of Michoacán. But some people fear it could become a failed state. (BBC News/NewsPepars)

Mexico's response to the rise of vigilante groups fighting drug cartels has been "very unclear" and "below expectations," Human Rights Watch said this week.

HRW Americas' director Jose Miguel Vivanco warned at a press conference of danger posed by armed civilians taking over the state's security roles.

The government under President Enrique Pena Nieto "has been very unclear" and this has caused "great uncertainty" regarding its position toward the self-defense groups, Vivanco said.

"It seems the government has been learning along the way, improvising the details of their approach against a very serious situation," he added.

Read the rest at GlobalPost

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!