Displaced by violence in Sinaloa anxiously await new homes in Mazatlán

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Of the 50 houses built, six families already inhabit them, although some services are lacking; the project had been delayed as a result of the covid-19 pandemic but became a reality after a four-year struggle.

With sad memories on their backs and economic deficiencies, families displaced by violence in some towns in the mountains of the municipality of Concordia were forced to live on the outskirts of Mazatlán and are looking forward to living in the CVIVE subdivision where 50 homes were built for them.

The project, which, among other things, had been delayed as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, became a reality after a four-year struggle.

It is located near the military hospital and the governor-elect of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha, now has the commitment to continue supporting the displaced in a comprehensive manner.

Of the 50 families that demand houses, only six inhabit them because the services are not complete.

Some of the first inhabitants are Don Juan Valdez Gamboa, 90, and his wife, Josefina Arellano, 79, who did not lose hope of having a home of their own despite the tragedies that they have experienced since “that horrible day” in the who were evicted from their home in Pánuco by organized violence .“I have bitter memories because I lived very comfortable there (in Pánuco), there I did not buy corn, I did not buy beans, I did not buy firewood or anything like that, I had a pasture there, my animals and I had to get rid of them, they stayed there, I lost everything, thank God we already have a place to live and a place to rest ”, mentioned don Juan with a happy face and without wanting to return to Pánuco.

They lived in the town of Palos Blancos, “because of the rebellion that took place, we went down to Pánuco, the situation became more rebellious and they evicted us, we hardly knew why, in those days they didn’t even tell us, only the people left, they left. I had my vaquitas, my little ranch, I supported myself by planting beans, corn, there was no need for the feeder, we had everything, and here it is different, the ranch for me is the best there can be, “lamented don Juan.

They were warned that they had 24 hours to get out because otherwise “they would be carried between their legs.””Everyone left. Pánuco was left alone at that time, here in Mazatlán up to three families live in some houses, we are fine, thank God but still close together, “he added.

They said they were happy to be one of the beneficiaries of the house even though they still did not have all the services and although with this new property an encouraging panorama opens up, doña Josefina is filled with sadness when remembering her deceased children.

The couple lost their 30-year-old son. He was murdered in cold blood. Shortly after arriving at the port, don Juan was run over by a car and affected his leg, fortunately, he recovered, shortly after his daughter died, he suffered from diabetes.

Currently, they support themselves with the pension that the federal government grants to the elderly but it is not enough, they supported themselves with the sale of ‘bolis’ and they also sell tamales and bread, with that, they hope to get money to deed their new house.

No description available.

Almost a decade of displacement

Adela Carrillo, 56, and Francisco Osuna, 61, are other beneficiaries of a new home, they were violently evicted from their home since 2012, with seven of their children, since then they have struggled. When they arrived in Mazatlán, they stayed for a few months with their married daughter who already lived there, but later they began to rent.

Rosa Irene’s case is similar, four years ago she was displaced; her fear was stronger when they killed her father’s brother, “we left because we didn’t want any more problems, I have my children and one of them is scared because they raised one and the other, I no longer knew one or who was next,” he said. .

She and her family are just waiting for the introduction of services to be able to inhabit their new home.

The case of Amalia Isabel is also noteworthy, she remembers that she was pregnant when she lived in a town in the mountains. “We lived well, there was violence but they never interfered with us, it scared one, but even there,” he said.”The government had supported us with a little house and everything was left there, there was no way to recover almost anything, just a few things that we were able to get with my husband’s grandparents,” she added.

Without showing her face, María Garay narrated that her family was kept locked up in a brother’s house for two days, fortunately, she did not grow older. They were armed groups, he remembers, they put an ultimatum to evict the town and all the people left.“It was a nightmare to live there, it was sunset and one with that fear, we lived on a hill and from above they shot down, we just rolled into a little corner just to wait for what happened. A bullet that fell on us or something ”, he lamented.

In addition, he pointed out that two brothers were killed at the same time near his home.

La Jornada - Entregan viviendas a 50 familias desplazadas por violencia en  Sinaloa

There is no exact census of displaced families, it is estimated that there are more than 4 thousand in Sinaloa

In the southern area since 2012, there have been families that left their villages gradually, but it was at the end of July 2017 that the contingent began to be larger, in the second group there were more than 300 families, said the leader of the Social Front, Miguel Angel Gutierrez.

More than a thousand families are affected, approximately 400 of them live in Mazatlán, more than 300 in Concordia and 300 in Villa Unión.“Some have left and are returning; They come from the Sierra de Concordia, in the upper part, from Pánuco, La Petaca, Chirimoyas, Potrerillos for four years. On July 28, 2017, eight young people were killed in the town of Potrerillos at that time the entire community was threatened by organized crime and fled and arrived in Mazatlán, but the municipal government rejects them for not being from here because they are from Concordia But the economy is very limited and people decided to stay here, most of them are young, middle-aged, established families, they have many children, three-four children, ”he said.

They began to organize, the federal government asked the state government to take charge of this matter, and it was until 2018 that the state Congress labeled 30 million pesos for the displaced in Sinaloa, mainly for the purchase of land.

In 2019, 40 million pesos were contributed and in 2020 it was supported with 50 million for housing.“Most across the state already have land but are homeless. Here in Mazatlán is where they have more and more complete housing, ”he said.

There are approximately 170 lots in Mazatlán, apart from the 50 homes, and these lands are about to be assigned. In addition, an attempt was made to agree to buy another four or five hectares more for displaced people who do not have any land.

Currently, some families are already living in the houses built, but the services are not yet complete, says the leader.“They pass the light of the Palmares subdivision (which is behind the houses of the displaced). The water and drainage network is already in place, but the storage tank is missing, from there they will be supplied with water and they haven’t put that in, ”he said.

Gutiérrez added that they hope that the second week of August (they will put the storage tank), because in the state government they are on vacation and they have to manage with the Federal Electricity Commission.

As for the payment of the houses – he stressed – that will not have a cost for the beneficiaries, they will only have to pay the deed, which will cost them 5,000 pesos because the State Government through CVIVE (Housing Commission) is supporting them .

El proyecto se hizo realidad después de una lucha de cuatro años. (Archivo)

He commented that during the electoral campaign he spoke with the current governor-elect, Rubén Rocha Moya, who promised to support them not only with housing, “it would be an integral support for all these people who were forced to leave their lands, their history, their houses, animals, even their dead. ““The violence originates mainly from the control of the lands in the highest part, it is drug trafficking, and in the other part, it is the exploitation of mines, in the lower part of the mountains mainly in Concordia and in Rosario there is the control over the exploitation of mines, on the other side the control of drug trafficking ”, stressed Gutiérrez.”People are wandering here – he regretted – they can no longer return because their lands are controlled by organized crime, they are still afraid, unfortunately, the federal, state and municipal authorities have not been able to control it.”“Since the people came, the government has insisted that they return. Yes, there have been people who have returned but they have been taken out again, they have been violated and their families have been killed, we have moments when the army had to enter so that people could remove their belongings, the violence is still there ”, he stressed.

In addition, the pandemic has hit them hard because, in addition to not having a home, they have limitations of everything, there are people who have died.”You do not have the number, but there were people who died as a result of that, adult people have a problem of degenerative diseases, such as cancer, diabetes and have died, because they do not have a health system, the covid is very expensive, the treatment, and the people have left as they could; Apart from these diseases, they have many diseases that have been very difficult to overcome, ”he shared.

He recalled that on April 20 he spoke with the governor, Quirino Ordaz, who told them that before the end of his term he would comply with the established commitments, delivery of land, mainly in Concordia, Mazatlán and Villa Unión here in the south, and throughout the north and center of the state.

According to figures from the Sinaloa state government – Gutiérrez highlighted – there are just over 2,000 families displaced throughout the state, but according to the Social Front there are more than 4,000 families living in the lower parts of the mountains, from Badiraguato, Choix.

Source: milenio.com

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