Mexico News: Blood Continues to Spill in Guerrero

Many Mexicans continue to live in fear as violence continues to sweep the nation. Guerrero has become infamous for its gang wars as well as the disappearance of 43 students over a year ago. Many Mexicans have argued that while there were attempts to bring peace and order, they have only made things worse.

Many of the images seen in Guerrero are both tragic and gruesome. It was reported by The Daily Beast that in 2014, the murder rate was at its peak in Mexico, making it eight times the national average. This was the time that the 43 student activists of the Ayotzinapa rural teachers' college were taken into police custody in Iguala. That was the last time the students were ever seen again. While a search party failed to locate the missing students, it was found out that hundreds of hidden graves of unidentified human remains were buried outside the town.

It also seems that the rate of violence in Guerrero has increased. It is reported that the murder rate as of November 2015 is 29 percent higher to what it was just a year ago. What is even more shocking is how prevalent the new wave of violence is throughout the state. The rate of violence is felt everywhere from the Sierra as far as Acapulco.

Tourism in Acapulco has also been chaotic. It was reported in the local publication that over a thousand businesses as well as 14 schools in the area have closed due to incidents of gang violence. Cruise ships have also ceased operations, as well.

Local authorities also avoid getting involved in "settling of scores" as a shocking 89 percent the Guerrero murders go unpunished in the state court system, as reported by the 2015 Mexico Peace Index. Guerrero has the highest murder rate in Mexico, as well as the highest rate of impunity.

In April of this year, Yahoo reported that 15 police were murdered by a Mexican gang in what was called to be the worst attack in years. The 43 missing students had accused the Mexican government of preventing social activism in the state. Felipe Flores Velázquez, a student spokesman, said that the attack as an act of persecution.

A special election for mayor will be held on Nov. 29 in the area near the town of Tixtla, where the students were attacked. The ballot boxes will be burnt during the elections in June as a sign of protest against the Mexican government's lack of action on the disappearance of the 43 students.