The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged, on Monday, the French in Mexico to "use great caution" and "remain confined", after the wave of violence unleashed in the country following the death of "El Mencho", shot dead during a military operation. Washington also called on its nationals to “take shelter until further notice”.
Published on: 02/23/2026 - 09:58 Modified on: 02/23/2026 - 10:44
Mexico is on fire, and France is calling on its nationals to remain confined. In reaction to the military operation which led to the death of "El Mencho", leader of the CJNG, one of the largest drug cartels, suspected members of the organization unleashed, on Sunday February 22, a wave of violence in 20 states of the country.
“Security operations are currently underway in the state of Jalisco (notably Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta and Tapalpa). Armed clashes, roadblocks and vehicle fires have also been reported,” the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs specifies on its website. “French nationals, residents or visitors, who are in this State are asked to exercise the greatest caution and remain confined during the duration of these operations.”
Warning about incidents in the states of Michoacan, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Colima, Aguascalientes and Tamaulipas, the Quai d'Orsay calls on the French on site to "take shelter and limit any non-essential travel", and to "regularly inform [their] loved ones of [their] location and [their] situation".
The United States also called on its fellow citizens present in several areas of Mexico, including cities and tourist regions such as Cancun, Guadalajara and Oaxaca, to “take shelter until further notice”.
North American airlines have canceled dozens of flights to several Mexican cities.
In London, the Foreign Office advised British nationals to refrain from "non-essential travel" to areas of 11 Mexican states, including Chihuahua, Sinaloa and Jalisco.
Guatemala has placed its security forces on alert and increased surveillance of its border with Mexico, which is regularly subject to gang incursions.
ReadMexico: who was “El Mencho”, leader of the bloody CJNG cartel killed by the army?
Armed individuals, trucks set on fire, vehicles burned
At least eight of Mexico's 32 states suspended face-to-face classes on Monday and the judiciary authorized judges to keep courts closed when they consider it necessary, while President Claudia Sheinbaum called for calm.
Killed at the age of 59, Nemesio Oseguera, alias El Mencho, was considered the last of the great godfathers since the arrest of the founders of the Sinaloa cartel, Joaquín Guzmán "El Chapo" and Ismael "Mayo" Zambada, imprisoned in the United States.
As head of the powerful Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) cartel, he was one of the most wanted drug lords by Mexico and the United States, which offered up to $15 million for his capture.
Armed individuals blocked several roads in the state of Jalisco (west) with burned cars and trucks, where the remains of charred vehicles and others still in flames could be seen at night.
"Armed individuals arrived, I saw the gun and they told us to get out, we went out and they had a car with the doors open. I thought they were going to kidnap us, I ran towards a taco stand" to take refuge there, explains to AFP Maria Medina, employee of a burned convenience store in Guadalajara, capital of Jalisco.
After an appeal to the population to take shelter, the city – which is due to host four matches of the 2026 Football World Cup – found itself paralyzed.
With AFP
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