# Trouble in Chiapas



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Does any forum member familiar with the conflicts taking place between indigenous groups in Chenalhó, Zinacantán and Ocosingo have any information about the disturbing situation described in this article?

https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/estados/en-chiapas-dejan-sin-ayuda-caravana-de-indigenas-desplazados


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

and you are missing a few conflicts... the samo samo.. there are conflicts about pieces of land and armed groups , call them paramilitary groups from both side shoot at people to drive them off the land where they are living.. each conflict has a different twist but basically is the same.
I read the story , hear from both sides of the conflict and cannot tell really what is happening.. I see the Human Rights take a side or another but if you know people on the ground the reality is that both sides are going at it.. From what I gather it is usually driven by political parties, , they have the money to pay mercenaries and weapons.. Both PRI and various sections of PRI go at each other and PRI and verde also go at it.. It is awful because those armed groups are out to drive people off their land and they end up being displaced..
On the groups you mentioned they were driven out and the government offered them places to live in San Cristobal and then quit paying the rent so those people are on the street again and marching to Tuxtla.. There is another conflict going on as well in the municipality of El Bosque close to Simojovel , they are being displaced, they abandoned their village leaving their animals behind and someone who went 4 days ago found the animals dead of starvation but no one has taken the land yet.. paramilitary groups drove those people out but no one has taken over the land yet so who knows who is behind that one..
As I mention I know a lot about a couple of the conflict and you cannot believe a word of what the press is saying, it is way more complicated than it sounds.. The only reality is that people are being shot at and killed and driven off from their village.. that is a fact no one can deny. Both sides usually have displaced people as well and we only jear about one side usually.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

citlali said:


> and you are missing a few conflicts... the samo samo.. there are conflicts about pieces of land and armed groups , call them paramilitary groups from both side shoot at people to drive them off the land where they are living.. each conflict has a different twist but basically is the same.
> I read the story , hear from both sides of the conflict and cannot tell really what is happening.. I see the Human Rights take a side or another but if you know people on the ground the reality is that both sides are going at it.. From what I gather it is usually driven by political parties, , they have the money to pay mercenaries and weapons.. Both PRI and various sections of PRI go at each other and PRI and verde also go at it.. It is awful because those armed groups are out to drive people off their land and they end up being displaced..
> On the groups you mentioned they were driven out and the government offered them places to live in San Cristobal and then quit paying the rent so those people are on the street again and marching to Tuxtla.. There is another conflict going on as well in the municipality of El Bosque close to Simojovel , they are being displaced, they abandoned their village leaving their animals behind and someone who went 4 days ago found the animals dead of starvation but no one has taken the land yet.. paramilitary groups drove those people out but no one has taken over the land yet so who knows who is behind that one..
> As I mention I know a lot about a couple of the conflict and you cannot believe a word of what the press is saying, it is way more complicated than it sounds.. The only reality is that people are being shot at and killed and driven off from their village.. that is a fact no one can deny. Both sides usually have displaced people as well and we only jear about one side usually.


Thanks for your comments, citlali. When I started this thread, I had you in mind as someone who would have some first-hand knowledge of what is going on in Chiapas. I wonder if these sorts of conflicts date back to the Colonia, or even earlier.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Most of the problems are fueled by the political parties ..pure greed..

Just got a phone call from a friend who lives in Simojovel, she is leaving her house to move to Tuxtla with her mother.. There are 6 bloqueos between Tuxtla and Simojovel so it cost her 450 pesos to get out of town and it took her 12 hours yesterday... 

Some reten make you wait 3 hours even with payments.. If you say you have someone sick , they say good better if you die here so we will make the news...and refuse passage. A truck full of coffee from Simojovel was hijacked,, an old lady and a young girl were raped in the hills , My friend tells me that the retens are full of drunk men young and old and very dangerous.

That area of Chiapas right now is blowing up..with all kinds of problems from transports , to refugies to who knows what , when my friend was told there would be retenes until the end of the problem, she asked what problem? The answer was" none of your business give us 200 pesos". In some areas it s total anarchy, pure and simple.

The government in doing nothing... There are problems all over the place and the government is about to change so nothing is happening, hopefully the new governor will call the feds and clear out the roads and sit down with each group to resolve the problems..


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

It sounds like a nightmare! Have these sorts of things been going on for a long time, or are they of more recent origin? Here's hoping that the new government takes your advice about beginning to fix the situation. And good luck to your friend and her mother with their new life in Tuxtla.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Retenes happen on a regular basis in Chiapas, usually done by the teeachers, transports, students , farmers and various unions but I have never heard of them extorting money and raping old lades and girls so far.. I think that the vandals and bad guys in general know the the old government is useless and will not do anything and that the new government in not in for another week or so , so they are filling their pockets.. It is plain shameful.. Hopefully the new government will clamp down or it promises to be really nasty..
The paramilitary groups have been around for a long time, remember Acteal? so it is just more of the same but on a much larger scale right now.


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