Massive displacement latest sign of fear in Mexican state disputed by cartels

By MARÍA VERZA
Associated Press

TILA, Mexico (AP) — It was night when residents began hearing gunshots in the remote southern Mexico town of Tila. Then came trucks and the voices of men discussing which houses to burn. Flames began to leap around the town in Chiapas state. Five hours of shooting were followed by three days during which people hid inside their homes waiting for help to arrive. Their only information came from social media platforms that quickly filled with threatening messages. Eventually, soldiers showed up and some 5,000 people fled Tila with what they could carry. It was one of the largest displacements of people in southern Mexico since the 1990s and just the latest example of the security challenges facing Mexico’s next president.