Guadalajara in Mexico Faces Violence Yet Set to Host World Cup Matches
Cartel related violence flared up in Guadalajara and various other areas of Mexico over the recent weekend following an army operation that resulted in the death of a prominent drug lord.
Despite this, the city is preparing with apprehension for the upcoming World Cup this summer where it is scheduled to host four matches.
In an effort to secure this major global sporting event as Mexico joins the United States and Canada in co hosting the tournament, officials are relying on advanced technology.
The Jalisco state government, with Guadalajara as its capital, plans to utilise drones, anti drone devices, and AI powered video monitoring systems for enhanced security.
These measures are being implemented amid ongoing issues in Jalisco including widespread disappearances and the unearthing of hidden graves, where Guadalajara reports the highest number of missing persons in Mexico due to severe drug fuelled violence.
On Sunday, Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera, the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and a top fugitive sought by both Mexican and US authorities, was killed during a military action approximately 130 kilometres (80 miles) outside Guadalajara.
The cartel responded with intense anger, leading to clashes with security personnel that resulted in at least 57 deaths nationwide including soldiers and cartel affiliates, along with road blockades in 20 states.
After incidents involving the torching of vehicles and commercial properties, officials cancelled football fixtures in Guadalajara and the central state of Queretaro.
FIFA, the international football organisation, chose not to address the unrest in one of the designated host cities for the tournament.
Come Monday, Guadalajara's streets were still largely deserted with shops closed and schools shut across Jalisco, while educational institutions in over a dozen other states also suspended activities.
Just days prior, local security representatives had described Guadalajara as calm.
- A disturbing scenario -
Jalisco ranks among the Mexican states with the largest number of missing individuals, recording 12,575 cases per official data, over half originating from the Guadalajara metropolitan zone.
Forced enlistment into criminal organisations drives many of these disappearances, according to Carmen Chinas, a scholar at the University of Guadalajara.
Relatives of those who vanished have discovered numerous secret burial sites in their quest to find family members.
Certain campaigners have voiced concern regarding Guadalajara's role in hosting the World Cup.
"There is nothing worth celebrating in my view. It strikes me as a rather disturbing circumstance," remarked 26 year old Carmen Ponce, whose sibling Victor Hugo went missing in 2020.
"The nation rejoices over scores while we continue our desperate search," she added from a site where she and her mother uncovered plastic bags with remains of five individuals last September.
Residents remain anxious about staging World Cup events in a locale marked by such turmoil.
Juan Carlos Contreras, responsible for the urban surveillance camera system in Guadalajara, informed AFP that demonstrations might occur from citizens angered by authorities amid their pursuit of absent relatives.
Financial impact
Missael Robles, a 31 year old guide leading tours in Guadalajara, shared with AFP that he has had to scrap up to 25 outings since the unrest sparked by Oseguera's death on Sunday.
"The financial damage is substantial," he noted.
Security forces have identified sites utilised by organised crime merely a short distance from the Akron stadium slated for World Cup fixtures.
Under two kilometres (one mile) from the venue, investigators from the state prosecutor's office searched a residence and detained two suspects linked to abduction.
AFP observed chains secured to iron rods inside the derelict structure, the Akron stadium looming nearby.
Jose Raul Servin, searching for his son Raul since his disappearance in April 2018, worries that visitors arriving for the World Cup might fall victim to criminal elements.
"We hope nothing adverse occurs," he expressed, "similar to our own ordeal."
Servin fondly recalls his son's passion for football. "Were he present, the World Cup would bring him joy," he reflected.