Hundreds of Afro-Mexicans in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero lived moments of terror when a group of men armed with AK-47s and AR-15s stormed their local celebrations and opened fire, killing at least 12 people, including two children and a women, according to local reports on Tuesday.
The attack was carried out Sunday night in the small, mostly Afro-descent community of Cuajinicuilapa, near the border with neighboring state of Oaxaca, the town mayor Constantino Garcia said.
Police officials also found shells that they say were fired by .38 caliber and 9 mm semi-automatic handguns.
Authorities have yet to reveal the possible motives of the attack, because as it stands now and based on the weapons used, federal security forces, including military, could be responsible, as well as organized crime.
According to local reports, the situation was so chaotic that many people rushed their own relatives to hospitals.
Immediately after the attack, state and municipal police and the army surrounded the community and nearby areas, although no arrests have been made.
In a news conference in Guerrero's capital, Chilpancingo, Governor Hector Astudillo did not discard that the incident was a result of rivalry among drug traffickers.
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He said the cockfight that was taking place at the time of the attack was illegal.
“They were doing things that shouldn't be done. This is part of the order that needs to be put in place, although each municipality has their own regulations,” Astudillo added, suggesting criminal activity was already taking place at the local fair when the attack was carried out.
According to La Jornada, on Oct. 27, 2014, the head of municipal security and his two bodyguards were killed in ambush.
There are over 450,000 Afro-Mexicans across the country, but according to official statistics, Guerrero has the largest proportional Afro-descent community of Mexico, as 49 percent of its population are Afro-Mexicans.
Guerrero is one of Mexico's most violent states with a homicide rate of 48 per 100,000 inhabitants, while the state’s internationally famous beach Acapulco is the world’s most dangerous city with over 107 homicides per 100,000.
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Governor Astudillo last week acknowledged the state was going through some very dangerous times, and warned all the mayors and officials to be careful.
He also announced that 1,500 federal forces were to be deployed across the state in an attempt to put the situation under control as part of a new security strategy for Guerrero, where on Sep. 26, 2014, teacher trainees travelling on five buses were violently attacked by police and drug traffickers. Six people died and 43 Ayotzinapa students were forcibly disappeared.
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