A second mayor from southern Mexico has been killed in less than a week. Acacio Flores, the mayor of Malinaltepec, was found dead with a bullet wound to the head in a van, authorities announced Saturday.
Flores’ murder comes on the heels of the killing of Salvador Villalba Flores, another mayor from Guerrero state, who was elected in the June 2 polls. The latest incident occurred while Flores was visiting an indigenous community, and his body was discovered with a bullet wound to the back of the head.
According to human rights campaigners, Flores had been detained in an indigenous village on Thursday and was being held for ransom. Efforts were underway to secure his release when his body was discovered.
Guerrero’s public prosecutor has opened an investigation into the aggravated murder, with a possible land ownership dispute being probed as a motive. The state of Guerrero, located along Mexico’s Pacific coast, has been plagued by drug cartel violence, recording 1,890 murders in 2023 alone.
Since the start of Mexico’s campaign season in September, at least 30 political candidates have been killed, according to Data Civica, a non-governmental organization. The escalating violence against political candidates has raised concerns about the safety of public officials in Mexico.
