MEXICO |
US worries on violence. On 22 May Robert Mueller, the director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation said that he was concerned about the rate of gang killings in Mexico. Mueller's comments follow some strong words by the US ambassador to Mexico, Tony Garza, who has called for more US assistance for Mexico in its war against organised crime. Since President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa took office on 1 December 2006, at least 4,044 people have been killed in the war on violent criminal and drug-running gangs. Mueller said that he did not expect the wave of killings to spill across the border. This has been another theme from US officials. Several US officials in El Paso, Texas, where Mueller was speaking, have drawn a sharp distinction between the violence in Mexico and the peace of the US.
The worry for the Mexican government and the US authorities is that the pace of killing appears to be increasing. So far 180 people have been killed by gang members in May. This means that the usual monthly death toll of between 200 and 220 is likely to be exceeded. At the rate for the first three weeks of May (just over eight killings a day), the death toll for the month is likely to be around 250.
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