Gunfire at Mujer Solteca dam construction site in Oaxaca

Workers at the Mujer Solteca dam construction site in Rancho Viejo, Villa Sola de Vega, were evacuated on Friday following reports of gunfire. The incident involved two separate exchanges of shots near a helipad area, prompting security personnel to respond and authorities to order the immediate withdrawal of personnel as a preventive measure.

The dam is a major federal and state water project designed to provide potable water to Oaxaca de Juárez and its metropolitan area for the next 50 years. The project involves an estimated 30 billion peso investment and includes a 72-meter high curtain and an aqueduct exceeding 100 kilometers.

The construction has reignited a long-standing territorial dispute between the communities of San Vicente Coatlán and Villa Sola de Vega over approximately 19,600 hectares of land. San Vicente Coatlán authorities oppose the project, citing unfulfilled federal commitments from previous administrations and claiming the work is being conducted on disputed territory. This agrarian conflict has a history of violence, including dozens of deaths over the past two decades.