Drug Wars in Ciudad Juarez Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Drug Wars in Ciudad Juarez - Essay Example Official figures released indicates that as of the close of 2008 there had being close to 1,500 cases of criminal assassinations linked to the feuding drug cartels (Ellingwood, 2008). It is against this background that the thrust of this essay will be addressing the scope of the escalating drug related violence that have engulfed the city of Ciudad Juarez in the recent past. It is no exaggeration to say that violence in its various forms is a common feature in Mexico, yet the situation in Ciudad Juarez is an exceptional case of extreme gangster inspired barbarism and carnage that has left an otherwise peaceful population terrified due to the terrorism unleashed on every body without regard for designated targets. This assertion is proven by the increasing number of innocent victims who are made sacrificial lambs in the heated drug related violence between the feuding gangs on the one side and the federal government forces on the other side. In mincing no words, the ongoing violence in Ciudad Juarez is a clear reflection of the extent to which the looming crisis has degenerated to appalling depths. There is no part of the city of 1.3 million inhabitants that is immune to the catastrophe. Almost one third of all the recorded assassinations in Mexico in 2008 occurred in the city of Ciudad Juarez, a clear indication of the state of affairs there; more frigh tening is the bleakness of the prospects of bringing these acts to a permanent end. In a rather unconventional style, almost anybody can be a target either through accident or design. There have been reports of innocent children who have been caught up in the crossfire as rival cartels exchange gun fire in open broad day light in street corners. This does not include members of the security forces who have also being targeted by the gangs in a series of assassination as a means of sounding signals to