The arson occurred hours before the elected mayor Juan Gómez Morales, alias “Juan Changarro”, took office.
On the night of September 29, men carrying high-caliber weapons set fire to the municipal presidency of Benemérito de las Américas on the border with Guatemala, a few hours before the elected mayor Juan Gómez Morales, alias “Juan Changarro”, takes office, which he repeats for the second time, this time for the local registered party Chiapas Unido.
Authorities indicated that, according to witnesses, the armed subjects entered from the neighboring country’s side, aboard several trucks, broke into the mayor’s office, broke down the doors, sprayed gasoline, and set fire to furniture, electronic devices, and documents that were in different areas of the building.
Once they set fire to the building, the attackers fled to Guatemala without any injuries being reported and without the municipal police, National Guard, and Army stationed there being able to stop them, the source said.
The residents reported that they were afraid to approach the municipal presidency to put out the flames because the same armed men could come back. The outgoing mayor, Isaías Tomás Soriano Ramos, known as “el Chayo,” left office on September 30.
The municipality of Benemérito de las Américas was created on July 28, 1999, in the territory of the municipality of Ocosingo, then the largest in Mexico, as part of a remunicipalization that arose from the San Andrés Dialogues table between the federal government and the EZLN.
On October 1, as established by the political constitution of Chiapas, the 124 mayors who were elected on June 2 assumed office; and also on that date, the new legislature was installed in the State Congress.
Sources: Proceso / Grillonautas
