Civilian 'self-defence' groups trade gunfire with Knights Templar cartel in Nueva Italia in Michoacán state in fight over territory

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Hundreds of vigilantes in Mexico were involved in a gun battle with a drug cartel over the weekend in a fight to control territory.

Members of so-called self-defence groups entered Nueva Italia in Michoacán state in an effort to liberate towns from the control of the Knights Templar cartel. Opponents and critics say the vigilantes are backed by a rival cartel, something the groups deny.

The state governor, Fausto Vallejo, gave a brief statement on Sunday saying he had formally asked the federal government for more help to quell the violence. He announced a meeting for Monday in the capital to lay out a strategy to restore calm.

Hundreds of vigilantes drove into Nueva Italia late on Sunday morning in a caravan of large trucks, surrounded the city hall and disarmed local police. An Associated Press journalist witnessed citizens initially welcoming them.

But shooting broke out almost immediately in and around the centre square. Only one injury was reported by midday.

Gunfire could be heard around the city. Vallejo acknowledged the violence had gone on for four days as vigilantes appeared to be surrounding the farming hub of Apatzingán, which is said to be the Knights Templar's central command.

Vallejo said he had formally asked the interior minister, Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong, on Friday for more federal forces, "given insufficient state and municipal police".

The self-defence groups claim local and state police are in the employ of the Knights Templar.

Fighting between vigilantes and alleged cartel members has racked Michoacán for almost a year. President Enrique Peña Nieto's government has sent thousands of federal police officers and soldiers to the state, but the situation has worsened.

Authorities reported finding a burnt cargo truck and the bodies of two men hanging from a bridge in the area around Nueva Italia. Both federal police and soldiers were seen near Nueva Italia on Sunday, but did not intervene in the fighting.

The federal government has said the civilian vigilante groups are operating outside the law, armed with high-calibre weapons Mexico allows only for military use. ut government forces have not moved against them and in some cases seem to be working in concert with the vigilantes.

There is speculation that some self-defence groups have been infiltrated by the New Generation cartel, which is reportedly fighting a turf war with the Knights Templar in the rich farming state, which is a major exporter of limes, avocados and mangos. Some in the region say members of the Knights Templar have also tried to use self-defence groups as cover for illegal activities.

The US state department issued a travel warning for Mexico on Thursday, recommending that travellers avoid Michoacán, with the exception of the state capital, Morelia, and the port city of Lázaro Cárdenas, and in those cases only visit them by air.

"In many areas of the state, self-defence groups operate independently of the government … are suspicious of outsiders and should be considered volatile and unpredictable," the statement said.