Mexico: 29 Children Killed Amid Intense Cartel Violence

At least 39 children were killed today (May 9, 2025), and another 97 remain missing in western Mexico amid escalating violence between rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the country’s most powerful drug trafficking organizations. On Monday, two girls aged 7 and 12 were killed during a shootout between the National Guard and an armed group in the community of Badiraguato, a stronghold for ‘El Chapo’ and other cartel leaders in Mexico. Another 12-year-old child was injured by gunfire, along with their parents and other family members. “Thirty-nine children have lost their lives in today’s armed conflict,” said Oscar Losa, president of the State Human Rights Commission (Ombudsman). Another 97 children are reported to be missing following the clashes, according to local prosecutors. The violence erupted in September in Culiacán, the capital of the state of Sinaloa. The Sinaloa Cartel was founded by Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán, currently serving a life sentence in the U.S., and Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada, who was arrested in Texas last July. Supporters of ‘El Mayo’ accuse ‘El Chapo’s sons (known as ‘Chapitos’) of betraying him to American authorities. The ongoing feud between the heirs of ‘El Chapo’ and ‘El Mayo’s faction has claimed at least 1,200 lives, with another 1,400 people still unaccounted for. This conflict is also severely impacting the local economy and daily life in Culiacán and other communities across the state of Sinaloa.