The Epidemic: Mexican Mayor Murdered is Sixth in Michoacan State this Year

Mexican mayor Martha Laura Mendoza was killed Tuesday when leaving her home in the western state of Michoacan, less than two days after another mayor was killed in the southern state of Oaxaca, in the latest outbreak of violence targeting local politicians, the Associated Press reported.  

Mendoza was the mayor of Tepalcatepec, a city bordering Jalisco state, and long a hotspot for cartel violence. Several organized crime groups are active in the area. 

Mexico has seen a marked rise in violence directed at local politicians in recent years, mainly instigated by organized crime networks: Criminal gangs often target those officials who refuse to cooperate with their gangs, the BBC added. Attacks are also more likely to take place in small towns, where organized gangs have a stronger hold. 

Candidates running for office have also been targeted over the past few years.  

Meanwhile, Mendoza was the sixth Michoacan mayor to be assassinated since the current Mexican administration was sworn in last October.  

Earlier this month, gunmen shot and killed Tacambaro mayor Salvador Bastidas.  

Another local politician, San Mateo Piñas Mayor Lilia García Soto, was killed two days ago in Oaxaca. According to witnesses, four armed men arrived on motorcycles and stormed the village hall, opening fire on the mayor and another local official. The gunmen are still at large. 

García Soto is also the second mayor to be murdered in the state of Oaxaca this year.