Sinaloa /
This Thursday marks five years since violent episode known as the ‘Culiacanazo’, when on October 17, 2019, the federal government detained and then released Ovidio Guzmán López, son of Joaquín El Chapo Guzman.
Since that day, the life in Culiacán It has never been the same. The violence that marked that day became a constant reminder of the fragility of peace in the capital of Sinaloa.
“A day that will not be forgotten”
Abigail Noriega, survivor of ‘Culiacanazo’, clearly remembers the chaos of that day.
“For me it is a day that cannot be forgotten, that remains marked for all of us who experienced that meeting with the yesicarians. I couldn’t get to work, I couldn’t get to my office. I was driving and, suddenly, I saw a huge screen of smoke,” Noriega said.
Like many others, Abigail was caught in the crossfire and had to search shelter in a nearby house.
“A lady gave me her home,” he adds, remembering the solidarity that also emerged in those moments of fear.
A city under siege
That day, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel blocked the main avenues of Culiacán, set vehicles on fire and took as military families held hostage to pressure the government.
The scenes of violence They were replicated throughout the city, with armed hitmen acting in broad daylight.
“I had to see armed people, the hitmen blatantly with their weapons in sight. It was very frustrating,” adds Abigail.
Like many others, she was left in a state of shock, paralyzed by the magnitude of the violence that was unleashed.
Five years later, the wound is still open
The violence that began with the ‘Culiacanazo’ has continued. Since September of this year, Culiacan has once again been the scene of armed confrontations, blockades and murders, many of them linked to the fight between rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel.
This same Thursday, they occurred new confrontations on the Culiacán-Mazatlán highway and in communities like Tepuche, where six alleged criminals were killed by the Army.
“The sad thing about all this is that it hasn’t changed, it’s gotten worse,” laments Abigail, who assures that the presence of armed hitmen It is more visible than ever.
“All this takes you, takes you back to that scene where you face evil.”
The day Culiacán changed
For many citizens, the ‘Culiacanazo’ is still present in their daily lives. Alberto, another survivor, expresses it with resignation: “For me, it is still the same, even if there are authorities. The violence remains the same because there is no strategy.”
That October 17, in addition to the locksalmost 50 prisoners were released to reinforce the ranks of the hitmen, which unleashed even more chaos in the city.
Aarón Ibarra, a journalist who covered the events, remembers how “the city was dominated by fear and uncertainty,” and how that day exposed the complicity that can exist between the narco and the State.
New reports of violence
Today, five years later, the reports of violence they continue. This Thursday, the authorities reported on the location of explosive devices on the highway to Eldorado, while calls to 911 were recorded due to the appearance of a lifeless body in the El Barrio neighborhood, in Culiacan.
In another incident, a man deprived of his liberty was released safely on the International Highway, after having been kidnapped the previous day.
Clashes were also reported between armed civilians and security forces at the Quilá toll booth, although no signs of the attackers were found.
The citizens of Culiacán live again under the siege of violence, with incidents of shooting, damaged vehicles and armed confrontations in various parts of the city and its surroundings, including Las Puentes, Navolato and El Atorón. Although the authorities have intervened, many incidents are resolved without locating those responsible.
On October 17, 2024, Culiacán continues to witness violence that seems to have no end, while its inhabitants try to cope with the fear and uncertainty that are already part of their daily lives.
HCM
