Mexican president sticks to no-war approach after cartel video

Lopez Obrador said he would not repeat the mistakes of previous administrations that failed to contain cartel violence.

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Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has come under growing scrutiny over his security policy as homicides reach record levels [File: Henry Romero/Reuters]

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday that he would maintain a less confrontational approach to battling drug gangs even after one of Mexico‘s most powerful cartels showcased its firepower in a video that stunned Mexicans.

A video – purportedly shot by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and showing dozens of armed gang members in bulletproof vests in front of armoured cars painted in military-style camouflage – went viral on social media on Friday.

Lopez Obrador said he would not repeat the mistakes of previous administrations that failed to contain cartel violence, which surged after former President Felipe Calderon launched a military-led crackdown on the gangs in late 2006.

“Violence cannot be confronted with violence, fire cannot be extinguished with fire, evil cannot be confronted with evil,” he said. “Evil must be confronted with good.”

Lopez Obrador said his government would face down gangs with intelligence rather than force, focusing on poverty and other root causes of crime.

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Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said ‘Evil must be confronted with good’ [File: Henry Romero/Reuters] 

 “We are not going to declare war,” he said.

With homicides reaching record levels, the president has come under growing scrutiny over his security policy, dubbed by Lopez Obrador as one of “hugs, not bullets”.

Many analysts argue his approach has emboldened criminal groups. Murders in Mexico in the first six months of the year hit an all-time high, data showed on Monday. 

Source: Reuters