Since September 9, at least 30 children have been killed amid the struggle of the Sinaloa Cartel in the northern state, according to the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), Omar García Harfuch. In total, more than 800 people have lost their lives in the region since that month.
In a daily government conference, García Harfuch emphasized that the society of Sinaloa must be aware that the deaths of minors have been caused by criminal groups amid the conflict between the factions of Los Chapitos and Los Mayitos after the capture of Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada in July.
A case that has resonated widely is that of brothers Gael and Alexander, aged 9 and 12 respectively, who were killed along with their father on January 19, triggering massive protests that demanded the resignation of the governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, a member of Movimiento Regeneración Nacional (Morena).
In response to the alarming situation, the government has deployed the National Guard in schools since Claudia Sheinbaum's assumption of the presidency on October 1, managing to maintain calm in those environments. Furthermore, constant reinforcements have been made in Sinaloa to weaken criminal structures and reduce the incidence of homicides, with the detention of 899 people related to the struggle.
The case of the siblings Gael and Alexander, victims of an attack while traveling with their father in a vehicle in Culiacán, has symbolized the violence that even affects childhood in Sinaloa. The father died at the scene, one of the children died shortly after, and the other was injured, later dying in the hospital. Protests demanding the resignation of the governor intensified, reaching government offices in an act of discontent over the security situation in the region.
