Mexico’s new president takes aim at violence during first day in office 12 SHARES Share it! Share TweetBy ReutersMEXICO CITY (Reuters) – On his first full day in office, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador defended a plan to end lawlessness with a new national guard, an initiative that risks upsetting some supporters who favor a less militarized approach. Lopez Obrador has said the strategy will be put to a public vote, likely in March. Over the past dozen years, Mexican security forces have toppled some high-profile drug kingpins but more than 200,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands more disappeared since a military-focused approach was initiated in 2006. In addition to the national guard plan, Lopez Obrado has offered a six-year security blueprint that criticizes drug prohibition as both ineffective and arbitrary.

Source: Manila Bulletin December 02, 2018 19:30 UTC