Gobierno de México

Mexico's Security Secretary Alfonso Durazo outlines a plan to address violence in Sonora during a press conference on June 24, 2020.

Responding to extreme violence in the northern Sonoran city of Caborca over the weekend, Mexican Security Secretary Alfonso Durazo said Wednesday that additional military and National Guard forces will be sent to the region.

Increasing federal forces is one of six steps Durazo said state and federal leaders are taking to address continued violence in Sonora, which he said stems from conflict between different criminal organizations for control of territory. Other steps include increased cooperation between among local, state and federal leaders; transferring inmates who could be involved in ongoing violence out of the state and sharing intelligence.

But the measures are strikingly similar to a pilot program implemented in five Sonoran municipalities last fall to address violence and police corruption, but that hasn’t been effective, says Manuel Hoyos, head of the civil society group Observatorio Sonora por la Seguridad, which focused on security policy.

"It's just copy and paste," he said. "I think that's the clearest summary."

Hoyos said the Durazo's plans are well-intentioned, but that reactionary calls for increased militarization aren’t enough. He wants to see a long-term strategy with clear objectives and timelines, resources for local police and a focus on ending rampant impunity.

"Let me be clear, we all want to see the government's strategy work," he said. "But all I see here is a list of good intentions."