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The two Mexican Army agents allegedly mistook the 33 migrants traveling in two vans for suspected criminals.
At least two Mexican soldiers are under investigation for firing on migrants from Middle Eastern countries in the southeastern Mexican state of Chiapas, resulting in six migrants dead and 10 injured.
This was confirmed in a statement by the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena) , which stated that the events occurred on the night of Tuesday, October 1, on a stretch of highway between Villa Comaltitlán and Huixtla, municipalities of Chiapas.
“Upon approaching, military personnel identified 33 migrants of Egyptian, Nepalese, Cuban, Indian, Pakistani and Arab nationality , of whom four had died, 12 were injured and 17 were unharmed,” Sedena acknowledged.
According to the report, the two Mexican Army agents had mistaken the 33 migrants traveling in two vans for suspected criminals.
“Members of the Mexican Army, while conducting ground reconnaissance, detected a pick-up-type vehicle that was traveling at high speed, which evaded the military personnel upon seeing it,” Sedena reported.
He explained that behind the van “were two pickup trucks with flatbeds like those used by criminal groups in that region.”
As they approached, the Mexican military identified four dead migrants and 12 injured , who were taken to a nearby hospital, where two more lost their lives.
The remaining 17 people who were unharmed were placed at the disposal of the National Migration Institute, which handled the incident according to protocol.
Two soldiers arrested for massacre of migrants
For these events, the two soldiers who fired their weapons at the migrants were removed from their duties . In addition, the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) will investigate them for harming civilians.
At the same time, Sedena reported that the Military Justice Attorney General’s Office will also conduct its own investigations into military discipline.
In addition, Sedena indicated that it established coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to maintain contact with the corresponding embassies.
“The Ministry of National Defense, within its sphere of competence, reaffirms its commitment to act in strict compliance with the rule of law; under a policy of zero impunity and is attentive to requests from civil authorities to clarify the facts,” he concluded.
