Thousands demand end to violence in Mexican cartel hotspot

The march was scheduled to coincide with the second anniversary since the start of the conflict - which feud broke out after the arrest of wanted drug lord Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada in the US.His followers, La Mayiza, allege he was betrayed by the son of the infamous founder of the Sinaloa cartel, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, and have turned on members of his faction, Los Chapitos.The two factions regularly carry out ambushes, drive-by shootings and erect roadblocks by hijacking trucks, which they set alight.Residents of Culiacán have been caught up in this internecine war.Not only has the number of murders and disappearances shot up in the state but also those of extortions and robberies, official figures suggest.Sunday's protest was organised by relatives of victims, local businesses, civil society groups and the Catholic church.Businessman Sergio Esquer told AFP news agency that more than 5,000 businesses had closed since the start of the feud. "That's the tragedy Sinaloa is experiencing," Esquer, who is a leader in the centre-left opposition party Movimiento Ciudadano, said. The event started with a Mass in which the bishop of Culiacán called on members of the warring groups to pu...