This Tuesday, civil society organizations called on the Federal Government to protect civilians at risk of attacks by organized crime groups. Through a public position, the groups belonging to the National Network of Civil Human Rights Organizations “All Rights for All” (TDT Network) and others expressed their concern about the humanitarian crisis being experienced in the country. “It is with great concern that we address public opinion to share with you the serious situation of violence and humanitarian crisis experienced in various indigenous territories in Mexico. At the time of publishing this statement, the signatory organizations and other solidarity bodies are assisting some 110 displaced indigenous peoples in Michoacán and 251 in the municipality of Guadalupe y Calvo, Chihuahua, who after several days continue to wait for humanitarian aid from the government,” they explain. From Chiapas they report to us that, so far in 2024, 8,190 refugees have been registered in the Frontera municipalities of Comalapa, Siltepec and Chicomuselo alone, among which there are indigenous people whose number has not yet been determined. “In just three weeks, since August 25, we have registered seven affected communities in the Baborigame region, in the municipality of Guadalupe y Calvo, Chihuahua, and an undetermined number of affected communities on the coast of Michoacán; one murdered person in the community of Cinco Llagas in Chihuahua, one murdered person in the municipality of Chenalhó in Chiapas and two murdered people in the community of El Coire on the coast of Michoacán, which also reported seven missing people, among whom two teenagers met”, summarizes. “It is difficult to document in detail what happened, because in all cases there are dynamics that force victims of violence to remain silent; those who dare to provide information about the situation have received death threats. Even so, we have been able to document the lack of access to basic food and the uncertainty experienced by all people, the majority of whom are women, girls and boys”, they say. From our organizations we have accompanied the communities in their request to strengthen the presence of the TNI elements so that they are sufficiently capable of preventing the occurrence of crimes. However, we are concerned about the systematic failure of these forces to coordinate with those who have boldly requested their presence. In Chihuahua, for example, there were repeated requests over several days to increase the number of elements and provide assistance to create humanitarian corridors that would allow families to travel to safety or access food. Unfortunately, the state response was to reduce the presence of these elements and in some cases criminalize those who requested assistance. In the case of Michoacán, a few weeks before the peak of the violence, and as a precaution, the creation of a command made up of armed forces was requested in the very area where the attacks on the civilian population would later be carried out; however, they report obstruction by the state authorities by blocking any request to meet security needs. “The lack of a firm and coordinated response with the indigenous authorities themselves fosters mistrust and damages relationships that should be mutually respectful. “The perception that we have in the territory is that criminal groups are not prevented from committing serious crimes, such as prolonged armed attacks, raids on homes, forced recruitment, especially of minors, and the rape of girls and women,” they state. Faced with this extremely serious situation, we call on the Federal Government to, in accordance with its obligations to society, coordinate the necessary inter-institutional efforts to: Protect civilians with preventive measures that guarantee the individual and collective human rights of indigenous peoples currently under siege. Establish humanitarian corridors that guarantee the exit of civilians held captive by organized crime groups, in order to safeguard the life and physical and psychological integrity of the people affected. Implement a path for the disarmament of armed groups. Articulate efforts with the state prosecutor's office so that they investigate criminal acts with due diligence and present progress in investigations that guarantee access to justice for human rights defenders and the population in general. Search for missing persons alive, using specific protocols for the search for minors. • That in indigenous communities that request the military presence, the authorities at the three levels of government respect the right to autonomy of indigenous peoples, as well as the channels, protocols and procedures established by each community, respecting their legal institutions and customary law. These protection measures are intended for human rights defenders who have the courage to report what is happening and who are working to address the humanitarian emergency. The events we describe constitute a serious violation of the human rights, integrity and existence of the indigenous peoples who are the victims of this situation. States at all levels have an obligation to protect, defend and provide justice to these communities. Finally, from the organizations that signed this statement we give our full support to the indigenous Tsotsil community of Tzajalchen who on August 24 declared that their community is and will be a “Civil Camp for Peace, Pilgrims of Tzajalchen, Chenalho Chiapas, Mexico”. We demand that all three levels of government respect the decision to protect the camp as a safe haven for those fleeing violence. The document was signed by Red TDT, Servicios y Asesoría para la Paz (Serapaz), Data Cívica, Fondo Defensores, Group of Independent Journalists, Core Group of Indigenous Peoples Rights International-IPRI in Mexico, among others.