Mexico Indigenous Disappearances Reported by Voces del Territorio Highlights Over 200 Cases

Voces del Territorio presented a report documenting more than 200 forced disappearances of Indigenous people and their families across seven Mexican states – Chiapas, Chihuahua, Guerrero, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Puebla and Sonora. The study, based on 152 surveys and 45 interviews, found that many victims are community defenders, with a large share aged 18‑30.

The organization named organized crime, municipal, state and federal authorities, and the Mexican armed forces as responsible, either through direct action, collaboration or acquiescence. Families reported severe neglect: 77.8% do not know the whereabouts of their loved ones, 60% filed formal complaints but 84.4% received no government assistance, and 47.7% continue searches on their own. Digital violence targeting Purépecha, Zapoteca and Yaqui communities, especially women, was also recorded as a new tool of repression.

The report argues that official statistics vastly understate the scale of the crisis, calling attention to systemic impunity and the need for stronger state protection for Indigenous peoples.