The Mexican drug war hotspot of Michoacán is simmering with tension in the wake of deadly clashes between soldiers and self-defence groups that have left at least two dead.

Efforts of the Mexican security forces to disarm vigilantes waging a battle against local cartels were met with violent resistance by the groups, who said that dropping their weapons would leave them at the mercy of the Knights Templar drug cartel.

Local media reported that 12 people have been killed in the clashes, including unarmed civilians, though only two deaths have so far been officially confirmed.

The disarmament drive follows Monday's federal government announcement of a new concerted effort to restore order to the Tierra Caliente, or Hot Land, region of Michoacán that in recent weeks has appeared on the verge of civil war after the vigilante movement there launched an effort to surround the regional capital, Apatzingán, which is considered a cartel stronghold.

"It is not right that the government is going after us when we are on red alert because of a possible attack by the Knights Templar," vigilante leader Estanislao Beltrán told MVS radio. "We are not going to give up our weapons or sit down and negotiate with the government until they arrest the cartel leaders."

Beltrán said the worst incident occurred after a military convoy of 60 to 80 soldiers disarmed vigilantes guarding the town of Antúnez. He said thousands of enraged residents blocked the convoy's departure route demanding the return of the weapons, after which soldiers opened fire killing four people, including an 11-year-old girl.

"The soldiers opened fire on the people," Beltrán said. "The government doesn't want to understand what is really happening here. They should be going after the Knights Templar."

The government did not immediately respond to the charges, though local media reported official sources recognising two deaths triggered by "resistance" on the part of the vigilantes.

The first Hot Land vigilante groups emerged in February 2012 in outlying towns of this rich farming region that is a significant producer of limes, mangos and avocados. They claimed they had no other option for defending their communities against the local cartel that was killing, kidnapping and extorting locals at will because of the collusion and ineptitude of the local authorities.

Their sophisticated weapons and vehicles raised suspicions that they could be linked to the New Generation Jalisco Cartel that has long been seeking to move into the area, a charge they vehemently deny.

"Our aim is to clean the Knights Templar cartel out of all the municipalities of Michoacán," Beltrán said. "We are not going to permitany other cartel to come in to replace them. Not the Jalisco cartel nor any other that might form."

Up until the current disarmament drive, the vigilantes had appeared to enjoy the tacit support of federal forces that have had a heavy presence in the region since May and turned a blind eye to the armed civilian groups patrolling their communities.

This changed with Monday's government promise to control the area that included a rare recognition of the complete breakdown of the local institutional framework, and the announcement that federal forces are taking over the control of all security tasks there.