After visiting an indigenous hamlet, the second mayor of southern Mexico to die in less than a week was reported by the local authorities on Saturday.
Representative for Malinaltepec Acacio Flores was killed a few days after another Guerrero state mayor, Salvador Villalba Flores, was assassinated. Villalba Flores was elected on June 2nd.
A human rights advocate told AFP that Flores’ body was found in the back of a van near Malinaltepec, with a bullet wound to the back of his skull.
After the politician was arrested on Thursday in an indigenous community, the rights activist had been involved in talks to get him released.
The public prosecutor for Guerrero announced the opening of an investigation into aggravated murder, which includes a potential property ownership dispute.
Approximately thirty political candidates have died in Mexico since the election season started in September of last year, according to non-governmental organization Data Civica.
Given its location along Mexico’s Pacific coast, Guerrero is one of the states most impacted by drug cartel violence. In 2023, 1,890 killings were reported in Guerrero.
