Over the weekend, over 4,000 villagers in the southern Mexican town of Tila, Chiapas, were evacuated by soldiers due to violent conflict.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador confirmed the evacuation on Monday, following reports of clashes between drug cartels.
The violence forced thousands to seek refuge. Soldiers transported the evacuees to two emergency shelters to protect them from the escalating conflict.
President López Obrador stated, "We are trying to find an agreement so that they can return to their communities and their homes and peace is restored."
The exact motives behind the violence are unclear, but drug-related activities and land disputes are known issues in the region.
The Attorney General's Office reported considerable destruction in Tila. Seventeen houses and shops, as well as 21 vehicles, were set on fire. Two people were found dead in a burned-down shop, and six armed men were arrested in connection with the violence.
According to media reports, the adults and children who were brought to safety had hidden in their homes for days out of fear.
