Drug War: Mexican Cartels May Be Responsible After Mexican Government Confirms More Than 20,000 People Are Missing

Since the start of the 2006 drug war, Mexican authorities say that 22,322 people are now officially missing. That large number could come from the fact that the drug war has resulted in thousands dead or kidnapped. However, some reports suggest the number could also come from other factors as well, such as suicides or other causes of death. Almost half that number of missing has been in the last two years under the administration of President Enrique Pena Nieto. 

Mexico's Assistant Attorney General, Mariana Benitez, said the list of people missing was as high as 29,707 over the same period of time, however, authorities were able to confirm that some people were in fact alive, or had died, taking more than 12,000 names off the list, according to AlJazeera.com. The number of missing, however, is difficult to confirm, since each presidential administration, that of former President Felipe Calderon and the current head of state Pena Nieto kept separate lists of the missing. 

Just this May, the Interior Secretary, Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, told the media that the amount of people who were missing was at 8,000. That went against the official number which was given in February 2013 when authorities said there was a total of 26,000. Reports said that Chong would't elaborate on the number and would not give any accounts of the two separate lists of missing that were kept under different presidents.

Benitez confirmed recently, according to reports that the Pena Nieto government began a list that had 23,234 people reported missing between December 2012 and July 31 of this year. Reports said 13,444 of the missing were located and that just 9,790 were still unaccounted for.

"It is unclear how many of the missing were kidnapped or killed by drug gangs," reports Al Jazeera. Drug gangs are likely the main culprits, but since they "frequently bury their victims in clandestine graves," that further makes an accurate number harder to ascertain as the drug gang graves are typically difficult for authorities to find.