International-News

Ten killed in Sinaloa on eve of peace march as cartel war intensifies

Shootings, burned vehicles and new arrests deepen the crisis ahead of a mass demonstration in Culiacán

A violent day in the Mexican state of Sinaloa left ten people dead on Saturday, just hours before a major peace march in Culiacán calling for greater security. The killings come amid a two‑year conflict between the Los Chapitos and Los Mayos factions of the Sinaloa Cartel — a criminal organization responsible for severe violence and human rights abuses.

Four homicides were reported in Culiacán, five in Mazatlán and one in Escuinapa. The day also saw multiple shootouts, the discovery of bodies and vehicles set on fire, according to Reforma.

In the same state, El Universal reported that authorities arrested 11 alleged members of a Los Chapitos cell accused of kidnapping and murdering ten mining workers last January in La Concordia. The suspects were detained in Escuinapa with 12 long guns, ammunition and bulletproof vests.

A march for peace in a state at war

Hundreds of residents took to the streets of Culiacán on Sunday, dressed in white and carrying signs demanding an end to the violence. After a Mass celebrated by Bishop Jesús José Herrera Quiñónez, demonstrators chanted: “Sinaloa, rise up.” “We want peace in Sinaloa.”

Families also carried photos of their desaparecidos, highlighting the human toll of the conflict. Organizers estimate that the war between the two cartel factions has already claimed at least 4,000 lives.

A state caught between fear and defiance

The juxtaposition was stark: a peace march in the capital, and a wave of killings across the state. The violence underscored the challenge facing communities trapped between rival groups of the Sinaloa Cartel — one of the most powerful criminal networks in the hemisphere.

For many residents, Sunday’s march was not only a plea for security but a declaration of resilience in a region where violence has become routine.

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