The annual report of the Armed Conflict Survey (ACS) 2017 issued by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) reported that Mexico recorded 23,000 deaths linked to cartel violence in 2016, a figure that exceeds the casualties recorded in countries with armed conflicts such Afghanistan (17,000) and Iraq (16,000) during the same period of time. Other countries listed in the report include Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey, South Sudan and Nigeria.
Armed Conflict Survey 2017: Syria deadliest, of course, but surprising to some maybe: Mexico is 2nd. 23,000 deaths https://t.co/CSFBYE5WW8 pic.twitter.com/xcL3beu0wF
— Andrew Stroehlein (@astroehlein) May 9, 2017
Director of IISS John Chipman pointed out an underlying phenomenon of displacement in armed conflicts: “While the typical rebel fighter used to combat from the mountains, the woods or the jungle, lately, they gravitate towards urban environments.”
The survey lists Syria as the country with most casualties, with an estimated 50,000 deaths in 2016 caused by the civil war between the Islamic State group strongholds and rebel armed forces that plague the country. The figures presented by the IISS are significantly more elevated than the ones presented by Mexico’s National Public Security System for the same period, a total of 20,824 intentional murders in 2016.
The Mexican Government stated that the 2016 Armed Conflict Survey published by the IISS is based on figures from unknown sources and lacks factual basis, since the total estimate of the National Institute of Geography and Statistics (INEGI) is yet to release its report on intentional deaths for 2016.
#Comunicado #SEGOB @SRE_mx Respuesta a reporte emitido por @IISS_org https://t.co/rwGedqddXC
— SEGOB México (@SEGOB_mx) May 10, 2017
According to a statement issued by the Interior and Foreign Relations Secretariats, “It [the ACS] shows estimates based on unclear methodologies and makes use of legal terms in an inadequate manner. Its conclusions lack support in regards to the situation in Mexico.”
Both secretariats argued the report makes a heedless remark in pointing out the existence of a “[non-international] armed conflict” in Mexico, since “the existence of criminal groups does not constitute enough grounds to speak of a non-international armed conflict. Neither is the use of Armed Forces to maintain order in the country.”
