SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED FL-2021 -00016 BACKGROUND PAPER B-00001941160 FL-2021-00496 10 28 2021 UNCLASSIFIED 10 28 2021 Page 628 IGUALA DISAPPEARANCES AND GOVERNMENT RESPONSE SBU The Pena Nieto administration faces a political crisis fo llowing t he disappearance and apparent murder of 43 students in I gua l a Guerrero Loca l po lice in I gua l a opened fire September 26 on protesting college students reportedly on orders from the town ' s mayor Police killed six in the shooting a n d a lleged l y h a n ded over 43 students to carte l members Mexican authorities have arrested 79 individuals - including the former mayor and police chief - as they search for the students ' remains The attorney genera l announced November 8 t h at carte l members confessed to killing the students and incinerating their bodies Federal officials drew criticism for j oining the statel ed inves t iga t ion on l y under pressure Aft er uncovering clandestine graves associated with other violence and contaminating evidence authorities called on outside experts inc l uding t he FBI -- to assist in t he forensic inves t iga t ion SBU The disappearances missteps in the investigation and discovery of many unmarked graves ga l va ni zed massive public outrage over indiscrimina t e vio l ence carte l inf l uence over p ublic officials poor state- local- federal cooperation and weak ru l e of l aw Tens of t h ousands h ave taken to t he streets across t he country to protest t he students ' and some 26 000 o t he r disappearances at the hands of criminal gangs and security forces part icu l ar l y l oca l po l ice Marchers ca ll for t he governmen t t o end vio l ence return t he students a l ive and for Pena Niet o ' s resignation A minority set fire to government property vanda li zed bus ine sses a n d briefl y se i zed a i rports i n Acapu l co and Oaxaca As protests int ensified Pena Nie to ' s approval rating dropped to its lowest point since taking office SBU Pena Nieto announced November 27 a 1 0-poin t p l an to address long-standing problems of violence impunity and corruption His plan emphasizes the problematic municipal l eve l inc l uding a constitutiona l measure to a llow congress to dissolve local institutions infiltrated by criminal groups ordering municipalities to transfer police power to the 31 states and int ensify tra ining of state po lice forces Other measures incl u de accelerating judicial ref o r ms and the immediate deployment of federal forces into areas of organized crime in Guerrero and Michoacan states To succeed in cutt in g t he violence and rebuilding public trust the plan will need support from the main political parties and a stronger focus on strengt hening t he ru l e of l aw t h an t h e administration h as yet shown SENS ITIVE BUT UNCLASS IFIED FL-2021-00496 10 28 2021 FL-2021 -00016 B-00001941160 10 28 2021 UNCLASSIFIED Page 629 Background - Iguala doc Approved WHA FO - b 6 e d · WHA MEX _ rb - 6- ok -----'-------- Cleared - - - - WHA MEX b 6 WHA MEX b 6 12 - 10 - 2014 1 ok ok ok ok ok ok ok ok rb 6 and ce ll --