Mexico Self-defense groups, 2021
Self-defense groups, or the so-called “community militias,” are a social phenomenon that has been multiplying throughout the Mexican territory.
In the poorest areas of Latin America, disappearances, massacres, forced labor and theft caused by monetary insecurity and drug trafficking threaten populations, forcing them to leave their homes, leaving everything behind. Faced with the abandonment of the state, in a desperate attempt to end a cycle of violence, traditional communities organize themselves into a force antagonistic to government authorities and drug cartels. Based on the customary law of the Mexican constitution, which guarantees some form of self-determination for indigenous people, civilians resort to methods reminiscent of Latin American conflicts of the last century to defend themselves.
Working in shifts day and night, members of the indigenous community police make their rounds on the outskirts of farms, along paths often used by traffickers.
In some towns, the majority of men are involved in those police forces and children are taught to use weapons in self-defense.
The dispute for control of vulnerable territories in Latin American countries is relentless and the forms of organic resistance are not always peaceful. It is estimated that there are currently at least 50 self-defense groups in Mexico, many not yet recognized by the federal government.
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