Thousands Protest in Culiacán as Escalating Cartel War and Political Turmoil Grip Sinaloa

Thousands of demonstrators gathered on the streets of Culiacán on Sunday, calling for an immediate end to the devastating wave of cartel violence that has gripped the northern Mexican city. The demonstration brought together residents from across the state of Sinaloa who have seen their daily routines, security, and livelihoods severely disrupted by sustained criminal conflict.

Participants marched wearing white clothing as a symbol of their call for peace, holding placards displaying pictures of missing family members and raising banners bearing slogans such as "We don't want fear, we want peace." The display of public grief and determination underscored the immense toll that violence has taken on local communities throughout the region.

The mobilization was organized to mark the second anniversary of an intense and bloody internal conflict between two rival factions of the Sinaloa cartel. Over the past two years, the ongoing dispute has caused the number of homicides and disappearances to skyrocket across the state, fundamentally altering the social fabric for its more than three million residents.

The origins of the feud trace back to the arrest of veteran drug kingpin Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada within the United States. Following his detention by American authorities, Zambada’s loyalists organized under the faction known as La Mayiza and alleged that their leader had been betrayed by the son of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, the cartel’s notorious co-founder.

This alleged betrayal prompted La Mayiza to launch an armed campaign against the rival faction loyal to Guzmán’s lineage, widely known as Los Chapitos. The resulting war between the two groups has fractured the criminal syndicate and turned urban neighborhoods and regional transport routes into battlegrounds.

Civilians in Culiacán have routinely found themselves caught in the middle of this internecine war. Armed operatives from both factions have regularly staged violent ambushes, carried out brazen drive-by shootings, and hijacked commercial trucks to construct burning roadblocks across major thoroughfares in the city.

In addition to the sharp rise in killings and unresolved disappearances, official data indicates that the region has suffered from an accompanying surge in extortion schemes and armed robberies. These overlapping security threats have created an environment of widespread fear, leaving ordinary citizens vulnerable to crossfire and criminal predation.

Among the many grieving families attending the demonstration were the relatives of a one-year-old infant who lost his life in the preceding week. The child suffered a fatal bullet wound to the head during a daytime shootout that erupted within the city, highlighting the grave peril posed to innocent bystanders.

Sunday's public action was jointly organized by a broad civic coalition, bringing together families of victims, local business organizations, civil society advocates, and the Catholic Church. The unity among these diverse sectors reflected a shared exhaustion with the chronic insecurity plaguing the state.

The day of demonstration began with a religious Mass, during which the Bishop of Culiacán addressed the congregation and delivered a direct plea to the members of the armed factions to immediately halt the bloodshed. The bishop implored the combatants to observe the devastation inflicted upon families, youth, and the city, stating that no amount of power, money, territory, or personal ambition could justify the loss of human life.

Beyond the physical danger to residents, the conflict has exacted a catastrophic toll on the local economy. Businessman Sergio Esquer, who also serves as a leader in the centre-left opposition party Movimiento Ciudadano, highlighted the economic fallout by reporting to the AFP news agency that more than 5,000 commercial enterprises have closed down since the start of the cartel war, describing the situation as a profound tragedy for the state.

The public outcry in the streets coincides with acute political instability at the highest levels of the Sinaloa state government. In April, federal prosecutors in the United States unsealed accusations against Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha and nine other current and former officials, alleging that they had conspired with the Los Chapitos faction to traffic illegal drugs into the US.

Governor Rocha strongly denied the allegations of criminal wrongdoing, but he temporarily stepped aside from office to allow Mexican prosecutors to conduct a separate inquiry into the US claims. The legal developments deepened public distrust in state authorities during an already turbulent security crisis.

Although Rocha returned to his gubernatorial duties three weeks ago, he requested another leave of absence only days later. His departure followed a public message posted on social media by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who, without mentioning the governor by name, remarked that power exercised without principles inevitably transforms into arrogance.