Terror Armed Groups And Extortion Turn Tila Into A Ghost City, Residents Reluctant To Return Home

JAKARTA - Thousands of residents fled the small town of Tila in Mexico, fleeing three days of terror by a group of fully armed people and leaving her as a ghost city, fearing to return even though government forces are now patrolling the empty streets.

"Over the night we heard the sound of bulletsishing," said Maria, a resident of the southern Mexican city of Tila, about 140 miles (230 km) from the capital of Chiapas State, Tuxtla Gutierrez.

On the night of June 4, dozens of fully armed people arrived in Tila by truck and began shooting at houses, places of business and burning buildings, witnesses said.

A man who did not name his identity for security reasons said the gunmen returned the next day with large caliber weapons and military equipment.

The entire population of Tila, which numbered about 4,000 people, chose to flee their homes. Some took government buses to nearby shelters, where many still survive today, sleeping on the mat on the ground.

"We will not return," said a 60-year-old trader, who calls himself Saul.

"Until we know that when we leave the house, they will not kill us," he said.

Dozens of residents who fled the area said the attackers, many of whom covered their faces and some of them looked minors, looted shops, burned cars and tried to get into houses.

Footage after the attack showed the city was still quiet, the streets were filled with charred vehicles, broken windows and bullet holes.

Violence in Tila lasted for three days until June 7, when soldiers arrived.

State authorities have since said about 5,000 troops have been deployed to the area and six suspects have been detained.

If the Government declares violence in Tila caused by local land disputes, residents say organized crime groups have long blackmailed them and will punish those who do not pay.

"For months, anyone who doesn't pay will be killed," said Maria, speaking from a shelter in Yajalon, about 20 miles (30 km) away.

"They threatened to recruit young people, rape women and that's why we left," he said.

Residents have reported increased violence over the past few years, as well as increased drug trafficking and extortion.

"They burned both of my houses," said another Tila resident.

"We are waiting for the authorities to take serious action."

Chiapas, who was once relatively untouched by gang violence, is now the location of the region's war between the powerful New Generation of Jalisco (CJNG) Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel, making more and more people escape violence and extortion.

It is known, many Mexican regions have become ghost cities because people seek protection from gang violence, by applying for asylum in the United States.

Mexican President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, who will take office next October, vowed to combat extortion in the country, the battleground-developing between criminal cartels smuggling drugs mostly into the US market.

With the US Government urging Mexico to eradicate drug crimes more harshly, Mexico is pressuring Uncle Sam's country to do more to prevent firearms from crossing its southern border.