An Autonomous Military Follows Its Own Rules in Mexico's 'War on Drugs ' Jesus Perez Caballero - Insight Crime
go to original July 26, 2015

A member of Mexico's military holds an eagle during commemorations for the 1847 battle of the "Ninos Heroes." (Washington Post)

Several incidents in the last few weeks have raised additional doubts over how Mexico's soldiers are approaching the so-called "drug war." Not only are there questions over how appropriately the security forces react in confrontations with civilians, but the importance of the military itself in Mexico's democracy may yet come under scrutiny.

Recently, various members of the military (including a lieutenant colonel) were detained in Zacatecas, a key state in the drug trade, as it borders Durango and has a movement corridor connecting it to Jalisco. The military detainees are accussed of the extrajudicial killing of seven people. Public pressure lead to an unusually speedy reaction, with the military itself acknowledging that there are signs that a crime took place.

Meanwhile, in the conflicted state of Michoacan, several individuals have accused the military of killing a minor and another five people injured. This allegedly took place during the military's attempt to break up a road block in Ostula. Roads have become a symbolic battle site for the state's self-defense groups in their fight against the Knights Templar; in this case, the road block was spurred by the arrest of an indigenous leader for illegal weapons possession. Military commanders have denied that they opened fire on the crowd, and have blamed a group of armed civilians.

These examples follow what is widely known as the Tlatlaya massacre, in which the Mexican military illegally executed 22 people, according to affirmations by the primary witness in the case. A report by human rights organization Prodh suggests that sectors of the Mexican armed forces signed off on orders to execute those they dubbed criminals. To be sure, this case illustrates how Mexico has moved beyond the simple militarization of the war against drug trafficking – a trend seen across the region and made especially evident in Mexico. What Mexico is now seeing is soldiers creating - and acting on - their own manual for appropriate use of force.

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