13 security officers who had been kidnapped by demonstrators who had allegedly been recruited by a criminal organization the day before were freed by Mexican police on Tuesday, according to a senior official.
According to the authorities, a large number of protesters had taken control of Chilpancingo in the southern state of Guerrero on Monday and were clamoring for the release of two alleged drug gang members.
Governor of Guerrero State Evelyn Salgado announced on Twitter that following talks with the authorities, the protesters also consented to stop obstructing the highway leading to the adjacent vacation city of Acapulco.
“Without repression or confrontation, we achieved the release of 13 detained public servants, who are already being provided with medical attention to ensure their good physical condition,” Salgado said.
The protesters also returned an armored police vehicle that they had used to smash the door to the governor’s palace in Chilpancingo.
Salgado remained silent regarding any concessions that may have been made to free the 13 hostages, who included a federal agent, three officials, five police officers, and five members of the National Guard.
The demonstrators sought the release of two members of the Los Ardillos drug trafficking organization who were detained last week, according to President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
“We won’t be hostages to anyone,” he told reporters.
Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodriguez said that the government had chosen the path of “dialogue” with the demonstrators.
One of the poorest states in Mexico, Guerrero, has experienced years of conflict brought on by territory battles between drug cartels.
Since the controversial military anti-drug offensive began in 2006, Mexico has recorded more than 350,000 killings and almost 110,000 disappearances, with the majority of these crimes being committed by criminal organizations.
16 police officers were taken hostage by assailants in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas last month.
After being imprisoned for a few days, they were released.
