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The murder of a business association leader in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, on Tuesday, prompted another business group to call on authorities to “intensify” security efforts across Mexico.
Julio Almanza, president of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce (Fecanaco) in Tamaulipas and a former candidate for governor in the state, was shot and killed outside the National Chamber of Commerce building in the northern border city.
Almanza, who was in his car at the time of the attack, was reportedly shot as many as nine times by assailants who fled the scene on a motorbike.
The 55-year-old business leader had spoken out about widespread crime, including extortion, which caused the convenience store chain Oxxo to temporarily close all 191 of its stores in Nuevo Laredo, another border city in Tamaulipas.
On Monday, Almanza told the news station Milenio Televisión that Tamaulipas was being held “hostage” by organized crime groups and called on authorities to guarantee security in the state, which borders Texas.
On Tuesday, the influential Business Coordinating Council (CCE) issued a statement expressing “profound regret” over Almanza’s murder, saying that “this terrible occurrence represents a great loss for the business community and all those who worked with him on the promotion of economic development in the region.”
Later in the statement, the CCE expressed its “most profound anger” over “the growing insecurity affecting Mexico, especially businesses and the families that depend on them.”
“… We make an emphatic call to authorities … [to not allow] this act to go unpunished and to intensify the efforts of all three levels of government to guarantee the safety and peace our families deserve,” it said.
“We reaffirm that the development and prosperity of Mexico depends to a large extent on a safe environment, which is essential for economic dynamism and the attraction of new investment,” the CCE said.
“It is imperative that urgent and effective measures are taken to protect all citizens and guarantee a safer and more prosperous future,” it added.
Tamaulipas governor commits to “exhaustive investigation”
Governor Américo Villareal condemned the “cowardly murder” of Almanza and said his government was committed to working “arduously so that security and justice authorities carry out an exhaustive investigation.”
In a post to X on Tuesday, he described the Fecanaco chief as “a brave voice who always stood up against injustices.”
His murder “profoundly affects us as a society and government,” Villareal said.
En #LaMañanera | “Me duele mucho”, dijo el presidente López Obrador sobre el asesinato de Julio César Almanza Armas, presidente de la Fecanaco en Tamaulipas. Dijo que lo “más difícil” cuando se gobierna, es recibir el informe de la muerte de gente inocente, “no tenemos de piedra… pic.twitter.com/nfnCDDQgkh
— Azucena Uresti (@azucenau) July 31, 2024
‘All murders hurt,” says AMLO
Asked about the attack on Almanza, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador told reporters at his Wednesday morning press conference that “all murders hurt,” and even more so when the victim is “innocent.”
“… We don’t have hearts of stone, we have feelings,” he said.
López Obrador noted that an investigation into the murder of the Fecanaco leader is underway. No arrests in connection with the crime were reported on Tuesday.
“I send my condolences to the family,” López Obrador said. “It’s very regrettable. We didn’t want this to happen.”
López Obrador’s six-year term in office will go down as the most violent in Mexican history in terms of total homicides, with more than 193,000 recorded since he took office in December 2018.
However, homicide numbers have trended down during López Obrador’s administration, and last year reached their lowest level since 2016.
With reports from Reforma, López-Dóriga Digital, Milenio, El Universal and El Financiero
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