Mexico's Execution-Styled Deaths Plummet in First Quarter

When I was in public affairs work about five years back, my boss once commented that in our line of work, say if we're told to sell oranges, we'd certainly do the necessary on the publicity and rhetorical front to try to get the fruits sold off. But regardless how hard we try, it's always going to be the quality of the fruit that dictates sales.

Words of wisdom, and something we all know intuitively.

So where am I going with this train of thought in the business about drug violence in Mexico and the U.S.? Well, the fruit in this case - at least south of the border - will have to be the results of the government's efforts to combat the cartels. (For the U.S. side, I think the new challenge is a highly political one of negotiating second amendment rights to set up controls about the sales of arms if the States ever hopes to ringfence the flow of American guns and weapons into the hands of the drug lords... but that's another story altogether, literally).

Back to this. I really read with gladness the 13 Apr 2009 CNN story 'Mexican official: Crime killings dropped 26 percent in first quarter' and all the positives that were carried in the report. If the figures are to be believed - and there's no reason not to since the Mexican authorities appear to have been very upfront with the casualty figures all these while - there's reason to be heartened as hitherto killing zones have seen an all round reduction in execution-styled deaths in the first quarter of this year as compared to the same period of 2008:

Chihuahua -> -26% (from 842 to 625)
Ciudad Juarez -> -39% (from 547 to 331)
Baja California -> -79% (from 515 to 108)
Sinola -> -49% (from 346 to 177)
Culican -> -45% (from 173 to 94)

There's still much work to be done, and this is certainly no reason for anyone to rest on their laurels. But to a Mexican population greatly fatigued by the sights, smell and sounds of violence in their streets, and wondering if the 'drug war' initiated by President Calderon is heading anywhere, the recent statistics should be a shot in the arm.

The war is far from over. But good news like this from time to time will never hurt!