TEN YEARS OF VIGILANTES - THE MEXICAN AUTODEFENSAS - Romain Le Cour Grandmaison

5 ARMED VIGILANTES AND SOCIAL ORDER: BUILDING A POLICY PERSPECTIVE In the context of the Mexican war on drugs, many academics, experts and journalists have argued that the growth of criminal organizations and the emergence of armed civilian groups such as the autodefensas – sometimes referred to as vigilante groups – are symptoms of the weakening of the state. [...] However, at the centre of the criminal control and conflictual dynamics lie two groups that reflect oppositions and alliances dating back to the autodefensas and the 2013 fight against the Templars, and that were at least partially shaped by the state’s role in promoting certain armed groups to the detriment of others. [...] The negotiation tables included representatives of the church, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection. [...] Run by the federal Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection, the programme aimed to open channels of negotiation in order to reduce violence, reopen the roads that connect the municipality with the rest of the state, and provide economic and social support to the population. [...] Although the talks led to the reopening of the roads, the retreat of armed CJNG personnel, the removal of massive checkpoints and the deployment of public security forces, the negotiations left many residents angry.