37 Tsotsil Families From Chenalhó Leave Their Homes Due to Threats

San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chis. At least 37 Tsotsil families from the community of Tzanembolon, municipality of Chenalhó, took refuge in the local school, due to death threats by armed men linked to the group of Los Herrera, residents of the area reported.

They explained that the residents went from their homes to the school on Sunday, after the gunmen cut the electricity to six families at 11:00 am.

They were only able to take a little food and go back to the school, because there are no conditions for them to stay in their homes, since they have no electricity, they said. Some things had already been stolen from their homes.

The locals consulted said that on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. a man climbed one of the poles of the Federal Electricity Commission to cut the electricity, while other armed men protected him.

Faced with the death threats and the power cut, the families left their homes and went to the school, others moved to neighboring communities, they said.

The aggressors live in the area known as Fracción Tzanembolon, and the threatened families live in Tzanembolon Centro, they said.

For this reason, the displaced people complain that the government does nothing to protect them, given that Sedena forces are stationed in the area. They also blamed the three levels of government for whatever happens to the residents of the community.

The majority of the families want to go to the capital of Chenalhó, but they are afraid that they will be attacked on the way.

Los Herrera maintained dominion over Pantelhó for two decades, until July 21, 2021, when the self-defense groups of the town of El Machete broke in and expelled them.

Since then, El Machete has had control of the municipality, but Los Herrera intended to regain it, so they allied to attack the inhabitants of Tzanembolon, adjacent to Pantelhó and close to the town of San José Tercero, the self-defense groups’ stronghold.

In their attempt to regroup, Los Herrrera integrated deserters from El Machete, such as Gilberto Perez Gomez, known as Comandante Tigre, who were murdered on June 2 in Polho (Chenalho), along with his wife, daughter, son-in-law and three-year-old grandson, as well as two bodyguards.