Last month, a total of 43 male students went missing in the city of Iguala. The college students were part of a rural teaching college in the southern state of Guerrero in Mexico and were attacked by local policemen and drug cartel Guerreros Unidos on September 26. Their bodies have yet to be found.
Ever since the disappearance of the students, the Mexican government has poured its resources into recovering their bodies. Last week, a mass grave was discovered that brought hope, albeit dark, of finding the missing bodies. The grave contained about 28 charred bodies. After DNA analysis of the corpses, the Mexican government reported that none of the 28 bodies belonged to the 43 missing students. Last Tuesday, Federal attorney general Jésus Martinez confirmed the report.
President Enrique Peña Nieto stated that resolving the situation of the missing students is one of the top priorities of the Mexican government at the moment. According to the Associated Press, the government announced on Monday that a reward of 1.5 million pesos ($111,000) would be given for information on the whereabouts of the missing. The government also placed ads on newspapers with the faces of the 43 male students.
Following the attack on the students, the government has made more than 30 arrests of corrupt police officers and others associated with Guerreros Unidos. Federal police have taken charge of public security in many parts of the southern state in Mexico.
Despite the efforts of the government, the students remain missing and the unidentified bodies in the mass graves urge deep concern for the situation of the Mexican drug war.
Angry relatives and peers of the missing students marched in protest last Friday in Acapulco. The protest was allegedly peaceful, but tensions are high. Some protesters believe that members of government are associated with the drug cartel and are hiding information regarding the missing 43.
