AMLO announces security plans for the towns of Gran Nayar

From the Writing

Newspaper La Jornada
Sunday, September 11, 2022, p. 4

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who assured that he feels optimistic because he sees that we are taming the problem of insecurity and violence in the country and social programs are giving effectsannounced yesterday that a security plan will be designed for Gran Nayar –which includes the mountainous territories of Nayarit, Jalisco, Durango and Zacatecas–, where traditional authorities of indigenous peoples insistently asked him to build National Guard (GN) barracks to bring down crime.

The president met with representatives of the n’ayeri and wixárika communities in Nayarit and Jalisco, who expressed their concern about the high levels of insecurity and requested that the presence of the GN be strengthened, a request that was also made the day before by traditional authorities of Durango.

López Obrador assured that the petition is important because it shows that the communities have cared for and preserved the tranquility in their towns, nothing more than that there are already very powerful groups in crime and the support of the State is required.

In Jesús María, municipality of Del Nayar, Nayarit, the indigenous representatives presented the Justice Plan for the N’ayeri People and requested that historical lags in infrastructure, education and health, among others, be addressed. We want to continue being what we are, indigenous, but we also want to live according to the times we are livingexpressed Martín Valentín Vargas, one of the traditional governors.

Accompanied by Nayarit governor Miguel Ángel Navarro and various federal officials, López Obrador called for an end to racism and maintained that his government is allocating more support to indigenous municipalities, because justice is giving more to those who have less.

In Mezquitic, Jalisco, together with Governors Navarro and Enrique Alfaro, López Obrador received from traditional authorities a proposal to issue a decree that recognizes and protects the sacred places and pilgrimage routes of the Wixárika (Huichol in Spanish) peoples, or dam (Southern Tepehuanes), n’ayeri (Cora) and Mexicanero or Mexica (Nahua).

When presenting the Justice Plan for the Wixárika People, the representatives of the indigenous communities asked to protect five sacred sites in particular: Tatéi Haramara in Nayarit, Tee’kata and Xapawiyemeta in Jalisco, Hauxamanaka in Durango and Wirikuta in San Luis Potosí. They also requested to reinforce the presence of the GN in the region.

López Obrador promised to begin the revision of the decree and announced that he will request the head of Sedena, Luis Cresencio Sandoval, to design a comprehensive security plan for Gran Nayar. With this, he affirmed, the requested barracks will be built so that the indigenous peoples can have security and protection as they deserve.

To close the day, the federal president inaugurated with Governor Alfaro a GN barracks in Colotlán, Jalisco.

Alfaro endorsed his government’s commitment to close ranks and not get distracted in the political debate, and understand that all Mexicans have a huge challenge to regain peace and tranquility.

With information from Arturo Sánchez Jiménez