Mexico federal congressman shot dead in Veracruz state

[Edge Guerrero]

Benito Aguas from president Claudia Sheinbaum’s Morena party is latest victim of spate of political violence

Thomas Graham in Mexico City and agencies

A Mexican federal congressman has been assassinated, in the latest killing in an outbreak of political violence in the country.

The Veracruz attorney general’s office confirmed the death of Benito Aguas, a member of the leftist government’s ruling coalition in the 500-member lower house of congress.

Another man was also found dead at the scene, according to the attorney general’s office, adding that an investigation into the suspected murders was ongoing.

Local media reported that Aguas was shot multiple times in the mountainous municipality of Zongolica in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz and died later from his wounds.

“We trust that the relevant investigations will be carried out so that justice prevails,” the lower house leader, Ricardo Monreal, wrote in a post on social media.

Aguas was a member of Mexico’s Green party, part of the ruling coalition led by the Morena party of President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office in October.

Mexico has suffered a wave of violence, with hundreds killed in intra-cartel warfare in western Sinaloa state, and frequent episodes of violence elsewhere in the country where gangs fight over lucrative smuggling routes and other criminal rackets.

Politicians have frequently been targeted, with 30 candidates killed ahead of last June’s general election, while hundreds more dropped out or asked for protection.

The violence has continued since the election, with more than half a dozen elected officials killed.

The brutal murders of a mayor in Mexico’s southern Guerrero state and his second in command just days after they took office in October sparked outrage and doubts over Sheinbaum’s security policies.

All political parties have been affected by violence – but local authorities have been hit hardest.

Roughly 80% of all political violence is targeted at the municipal level. It is both the least protected layer of the state and where criminal groups seek deals with authorities to deepen their control over the local territory and its businesses.

Attacks on federal congress members, as in Veracruz, are less common.

According to Data Cívica, a research group, political violence is steadily increasing in Mexico, with 2024 the most violent year since it began documenting in 2018.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/10/mexico-federal-congressman-shot-dead-veracruz