Mexico is horrified by the death of the mayor of the city of Chilpancingo who was beheaded just six days after taking office. However, Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum advocates a "policy of hugs" instead of bullets
Mexican the authorities were shaken to their foundations by the horrific death of Alejandro Arcos Catalano (43), the mayor of the city of Chilpancingo who was beheaded only six days after taking office, and after that murders four mayors in Mexico requested protection from federal authorities.
Chilpancingo is the administrative center of the Mexican state of Guerrero, and has more than 200.000 inhabitants.
Arcos Catalan was sworn in on September 30, just a day before Mexico's first female president, Claudia Scheinbaum, took office herself.
At the very beginning of her mandate, she had to inform the public that Arkos Catalan was killed and that "all the necessary investigations are underway."
Terrible photo
Photos of Arcos Catalano's bloodied head displayed on the roof of a white vehicle while his body lay prone inside spread like wildfire on social media. It was another horrific reminder of the violence Mexico's organized crime conflict has wreaked on the country.
The assassination of Arcos Catalan came after two close allies were killed at the very beginning of his short-lived administration.
Secretary Francisco Tapia was gunned down on October 3, while Ulises Hernandez Martinez, a former police special forces commander who reportedly became Arcos' security chief, was riddled with bullets ahead of the mayor's inauguration.
He wanted to be remembered as a champion of peace and happiness
Shocked citizens shared a video of an interview with the mayor before his death in which he said he wanted to be remembered as a champion of peace and happiness.
"I have lived here all my life and I want to die here - but I want to die fighting for my city," said Arcos Catalan.
Arkos Catalan said in an interview with local media shortly before his death that he wanted additional protection, but it is not clear whether any formal request for this has been made to state officials.
Chilpancingo is a haven for drug gangs
The fact that in 2023 a drug gang openly organized a demonstration, hijacked a government armored car and took the police hostage in order to force the release of arrested suspects shows how violent Chilpancingo is.
The killing sparked outrage and disgust, with Alejandro Moreno, president of Arcos Catalan's party, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), condemning what he called a grotesque "act of terror".
Ricardo Anaya, an opposition senator, complained about the security situation in Mexico, where more than 450.000 people have been killed since President Felipe Calderon launched his "war" against drug cartels in 2006.
"Because of the fact that they beheaded the mayor of such an important city, we should all tremble." It is completely unacceptable and we need to do something to ensure that it stops happening," Anaya said and called for an immediate change in security policy.
"Politics of hugs" instead of bullets
Still, President Scheinbaum has vowed to continue the so-called "policy of hugs, not bullets," the security policy of her predecessor and nationalist mentor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, 70, who served as Mexico's president for six years.
"We will not return to Calderon's reckless war on drugs that has caused so much damage to our country." Our belief remains that security and peace are the fruits of justice," Scheinbaum told thousands of supporters at the inauguration.
Although López Obrador claimed to have achieved modest reductions in Mexico's homicide rate in the later stages of his presidency, there is a consensus among security analysts that his attempts to "pacify" the country have failed.
The infamous position of Mexico
Last year there were more than 30.000 murders in Mexico. According to the research center Instituto Igarape, in 2023, of the 50 deadliest cities in the world, 11 of them were from Mexico, and among them was the city of the beheaded mayor Chilpancingo. By comparison, in 2015, only three of the 50 deadliest cities in the world were from Mexico.
Despite that grim reality, López Obrador left office with a 70 percent approval rating, largely a result of his relentless focus on fighting inequality and positioning himself as a champion of the poor.
Aware that fighting violence is one of her most daunting challenges — and under pressure after the murder of Arcos Catalano — Scheinbaum said she will soon outline her public safety plans.
Government and gang ties
The identity of the killers of Arcos Catalan has not yet been revealed, but in recent years the city of Chilpancingo has witnessed a bloody feud between two criminal groups. As often happens in Mexico, local politicians are involved in the underworld. Arcos Catalan's predecessor, Norma Otilia Hernandez, was removed from her position after a compromising video surfaced showing her talking to the head of one of the gangs in a restaurant.
After the election earlier this year, Arcos Catalan reportedly said it would not make deals or negotiate with criminal groups.
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