Mexican Government Legitimizes Self-Defense Forces, Arrests Cartel Leader, Choosing Right Side

In the ongoing and long running battle between the self-defense forces in Michoacán State in Southwestern Mexico and the Knights Templar cartel, the Mexican government has finally chosen sides and has chosen right.  The Houston Chronicle reports  that the government said it had reached an agreement with the leaders of the self-defense forces to incorporate the armed civilian forces into the old and largely forgotten quasi-military units called Rural Defense Corps.  At the same time, the government captured one of the top leaders of the Knights Templar drug cartel that had branched out into extortion, had taken over the country’s second largest port and was essentially extorting and exporting minerals.

 

Self-defense forces

The self-defense forces, which had been operating to take back their state for a year without the help of the government created a civil crisis a week ago when they surrounded the cartel stronghold and forced the army to come into the town. At first the army tried to disarm the self-defense forces, which rightfully drew the condemnation of the country and the rest of the world.  The army accused the self-defense forces of fomenting civil war, largely ignoring that the cartel had already started the civil war by operating a de facto government in Michoacán State. (see prior coverage here).

"The self-defense forces will become institutionalized, when they are integrated into the Rural Defense Corps," the Interior Department said in a statement. Police and soldiers already largely tolerate, and in some cases even work with, the vigilantes, many of whom are armed with assault rifles that civilians are not allowed to carry.

Vigilante leaders will have to submit a list of their members to the Defense Department, and the army will apparently oversee the groups, which the government said "will be temporary." They will be allowed to keep their weapons as long as they register them with the army.

The military will give the groups "all the means necessary for communications, operations and movement," according to the agreement.

This a good move by the government in recognizing that it cannot let the criminal cartels run parts of the country in the name of order.  The people eventually will, and did, rise up.  The government had to pick sides and picked the right one.  It needs to stamp out the cartels.  It is a good start.