Mexico apologizes to Guatemala for the clash between Chiapas police and drug traffickers on its territory.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico offered an apology to the Government of Guatemala on Tuesday for the incursion of an elite police group from Chiapas into its territory, according to a statement shared by the agency on social media. The incidents referred to occurred on the afternoon of last Sunday, when Chiapas authorities entered the La Mesilla border in Huehuetenango during a confrontation with a criminal group.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a diplomatic note today to the Government of Guatemala expressing its apologies […] It also reiterated its commitment to the defense of territorial sovereignty and international law,” Foreign Affairs stated in its apology note. The letter was a response to one sent a few hours earlier by Guatemala’s counterpart agency, which expressed its protest over the incident. “The Ministry calls on Mexican authorities to investigate this serious incident to maintain security and mutual respect in border areas.”

The La Mesilla border, the dividing line between the two countries, separates Chiapas territory in southern Mexico from Huehuetenango. Around three in the afternoon, Chiapas police were pursuing a group of drug traffickers in the border town of Frontera Comalapa. Minutes earlier, they had shot four alleged criminals and seized vehicles and weapons. Those who survived crossed the line into Guatemala. A citizen recorded the scene at the location.

The clash between the parties occurred under the watch of Guatemalan authorities, who did not react to the confrontation. This soon reignited political tensions between the two countries. The governor of Chiapas, Eduardo Ramírez, posted a message on social media Monday morning accusing Guatemalan authorities of being allied with the drug traffickers (“colluded,” he said); Guatemalan Defense Minister Henry Sáenz defended that this military inactivity was to prevent the death of residents or merchants. “I thank and fully support the members of the Guatemalan Army, specifically those involved in yesterday’s action, for the decision made,” he explained.

The border is a territory of swings between both countries. The dispute on Friday escalated the controversy between the two nations, which have seen how the drug trade has affected them more than once. An example of this was the unusual exodus of hundreds of Mexicans from Chiapas to Guatemala, a route of escape from cartel violence. The southern territory of Mexico, the poorest in the country, is dominated by criminal groups. Leaked documents from the Ministry of National Defense by the hacking group Guacamaya show that the Sinaloa Cartel maintained its criminal activities on the border until 2022, when it suffered a split due to one of its internal disputes. It was at that moment that the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which became the most powerful group in the country, took the opportunity to infiltrate.