Mexico drugs war murders data mapped

Murders in Mexico’s drug wars have been detailed in a huge new release of crime data – see how they look
• Get the data

Johanna Tuckman
Guardian [UK]
14 January 2011

The Mexican government has released a database it says covers all murders presumed to have a link to the country’s drug wars in which at least seven different cartels are fighting each other and federal forces deployed in a massive offensive against them launched in December 2006.

The number of deaths has risen rapidly since then to total 34,612 up until the end of 2010, by far the most violent year so far with 15,273 people killed.

The database is the most detailed official picture of the drug wars yet made public, showing the geographical distribution of the violence down to the municipal level.

While no region has escaped, the killing is seen as particularly intense in northern and Pacific coastal states.

Ciudad Juarez, just across the border from Texas, has been the most violent city since 2008 despite also have the heaviest federal presence.

The figures released do not specify how many of those killed are presumed to be related to the cartels, how many belonged to the security forces, or how many were innocent civilians dragged into the horror…

The article continues at the Guardian. We urge you to go to the paper’s site to see interactive graphics and map. We think they will have a powerful impact on even our most informed readers.

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