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Take Two

Details of Mexico's deal with armed groups in Michoacán still unclear

By Take Two Staff
Published Apr 17, 2014
Mexican soldiers patrol the streets of Apatzingan, in Michoacan State, Mexico, on January 16, 2014. On the eve, federal police and army troops said they had 17 cities and towns in western Mexico under control after clashing with vigilantes and seizing Apatzingan (population 120,000) --a bastion of the Knights Templars cartel-- Uruapan (315,000) and Mugica (45,000) among others. The turmoil in Michoacan has become the biggest security challenge for President Enrique Pena Nieto's 13-month-old administration, undermining his pledge to reduce drug violence.
Mexican soldiers patrol the streets of Apatzingan, in Michoacan State, Mexico, on January 16, 2014.
(
ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP/Getty Images
)

Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.

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Details of Mexico's deal with armed groups in Michoacán still unclear

The Mexican government has given armed self defense groups until May to disarm in exchange these groups known as autodefensas could be incorporated in a new state police force.

RELATED: Rise of armed groups in Mexico prompts hope, fear among LA's michoacanos

The autodefensas have been around for more than a year. Recently, they pushed out the dominant drug cartel, the Knights Templar, in the southwest state of Michoacán. They've been setting up checkpoints, patrolling towns and drawing local support.

It's exposed the federal government's failure to stem the violence, but it's also put the government in a bind: how to deal with the popular groups that are outside the rule of law?

For the latest on what this deal means, we're joined by Verónica Calderón, reporter with El Pais in Mexico City.