Mexico hopes violence will calm in coming days, says Anand while urging caution | CBC News
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Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said her Mexican counterpart believes the violence that’s erupted in parts of Mexico, including the popular tourist destination of Puerto Vallarta, will calm in the coming days.
But she cautioned that the security situation in the country “remains fluid.”
On Sunday the federal government warned Canadians in multiple regions to shelter in place after the Mexican government announced cartel leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, also known as El Mencho, was killed as part of a military operation.
El Mencho was the head of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The ensuing cartel response has created a wave of violence in parts of the country, especially Jalisco state, with armed groups blocking roads and setting vehicles and stores on fire.
As of Monday at least 73 people have died including members of the Mexican National Guard, according to a body count taken by security officials after the operation and the retaliatory violence.
“In my conversation with Foreign Minister [Juan Ramón] de la Fuente last evening, he indicated that the situation should stabilize in the coming days and that this was a targeted operation which will not continue,” Anand said during a news conference on Monday.
Anand said Global Affairs Canada (GAC) has been made aware of three consular cases. Two of them involved Canadians who have non-life-threatening injuries, and the other is an ask for financial assistance, she said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, who was asked Monday about communication with her Mexican counterpart amid a flare-up in violence following the death of a cartel leader, says Canada is not considering sending planes to Mexico at this time.
“The situation remains fluid. All Canadians in affected regions should heed the direction of local authorities and travel only when it is safe to do so,” Anand said.
If the situation stabilizes, it would be a relief to the thousands of Canadians trying to get home.
Major Canadian airlines, including Air Canada, WestJet and Porter, suspended flights to Puerto Vallarta and other Mexican cities due to the violence. With dangerous and fiery blockades erected on main roads, travellers have been stuck in resorts and rental homes.
The minister said the government is not considering sending repatriation flights at this time. She also said the Canadian government was not given a heads up about the Mexican operation.
As of Monday morning 26,305 Canadians in Mexico have registered with Global Affairs Canada, Anand said, an increase of about 8,000 people from Sunday.
“We know that the actual number of Canadians in Mexico is much higher,” she said, urging Canadians to voluntarily register.
Anand defends GAC
Some Canadians down south have reported problems getting information from GAC during the tense situation.
Ian Thomson has been spending his winters in the Jalisco town of Ajijic for years. He said he received no alerts on Sunday despite registering with GAC.
The Ottawa family realized something was amiss when they went to a concert in the city of Chapala, about 20 minutes away, only to find a cancellation notice on the door and the normally bustling town eerily quiet.
“It was really very quiet and we didn’t understand why,” he said.
Once home, they read the news and learned about the military operation and safety concerns.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says no blockades remain in her country, the day after widespread retaliatory cartel violence. On Sunday, cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, or ‘El Mencho,’ was killed in a military raid after a romantic partner shared information with authorities, according to Mexico’s defence minister.
“I tried calling the consulate in Guadalajara because I wanted to know what was happening and what they needed to do and so on and so forth. They were closed because it’s Sunday. There’s an emergency in the country and they’re closed,” he said.
“I couldn’t get through and I still hadn’t had any emails from them.”
Asked about those types of concerns, Anand defended her department, which she said experienced some technical difficulties over the last 24 hours with hundreds of calls coming into its consular services and thousands more Canadians registering online.
“I want to assure Canadians that we are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that we are providing the most accurate advice possible,” she said.
“I want to vociferously underline that our system is working well and where there are kinks, we are addressing them and it is functioning well at this time.”
As of Monday afternoon the registration site was intermittently giving an error messages and slow to load.