In recent months, violence in Sinaloa has alarmingly escalated, impacting municipalities like Mazatlán and Culiacán. In light of this situation, many residents have begun taking preventive measures on their own, such as avoiding leaving their homes during certain hours. Through social media, people from Sinaloa have stated that they have been living under a kind of unofficial curfew for the past two months. According to testimonies, people only feel safe to go out between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. due to armed confrontations and the burning of vehicles and businesses in various areas of the state.
These self-imposed restrictions reflect the climate of insecurity experienced in the region, especially in the areas most affected by conflicts between criminal groups. Despite growing concerns, the Government of Sinaloa has not issued any official statement regarding the imposition of a curfew in the state.
On the other hand, in an attempt to maintain control, on October 28, the Autonomous University of Sinaloa announced a suspension of classes for one week due to recent confrontations in Mazatlán, which resulted in shootings with multiple injuries and fatalities.
In response to the situation, the state government issued a statement on October 27 in which the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) joined efforts to enhance the security of the population. New communication channels were announced for citizens to report violent incidents or threats. The numbers 911 and 089 were activated, along with direct lines for contacting Sedena: 667 715 95 86 for conventional calls and 667 584 90 42 exclusively for the WhatsApp platform. The purpose of these additional measures is to improve the response capacity of federal forces in emergency situations, thereby seeking to protect the citizenry.
