The variety of Canadians in Mexico registered with Global Affairs Canada has greater than doubled within the last 24 hours because the flare-up of cartel violence is becoming “more stable,” Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Tuesday.
“The situation in Mexico is becoming more stable. Flights have resumed. In other words, Canadian airlines have announced, as of last night and this morning, that they’re resuming a few of their flights,” Anand told reporters ahead of a cupboard meeting on Tuesday.
As of Monday morning, greater than 26,000 Canadians had voluntarily registered with GAC. On Tuesday, Anand said that number had jumped to greater than 55,000 Canadians registered with the federal government.
Since registration with Global Affairs Canada is voluntary, the actual variety of Canadians in Mexico could also be higher.
“The situation must be closely monitored as we’re doing with our consular officials on the bottom in Mexico, and we’re advising Canadians to follow the recommendation of the federal government,” Anand said.
Canadians in Puerto Vallarta were asked to “shelter in place” after violence erupted within the seaside Mexican town over the killing of cartel leader and drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, higher often called “El Mencho,” in a military raid on Sunday.
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Inside hours of the killing of Oseguera Cervantes, gunmen suspected to be his supporters blocked highways across several states and set cars and businesses ablaze.
A map depicting Global Affairs Canada’s security warnings for Mexico.
Global News
The flare-up of violence was likely a “message” from the cartel to exert influence over its territory, said Alejandro Garcia Magos, political science professor on the University of Toronto.
While there is perhaps some violence in the times to return, Magos said he expects the situation to enhance soon.
“There’s going to be violence. There’s going to be a reorganization of the cartel. But this can be a major blow for this criminal organization. It is going to fracture. It is going to be demoralized. And eventually it should change into less of a public threat,” he said.
The federal government’s push to take the notorious drug lord out has dealt a serious blow to the cartel, he said.
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