Nine individuals were tragically killed on Saturday in the Mexican state of Oaxaca when gunmen ambushed a pickup truck carrying residents from the municipality of Santiago Mitlatongo to the town of Nochixtlan.

The local prosecutor’s office indicated that the incident stemmed from ongoing peasant conflicts over land ownership.

According to the prosecutor’s statement, the attack resulted in the immediate loss of nine lives, while four others – three women and one man – sustained injuries and were rushed to a local hospital. The authorities are currently investigating the identities of the perpetrators.

The prosecutor’s office lamented the ongoing violence between communities, emphasizing that such actions only exacerbate tensions and hinder the resolution of underlying disputes. 

“This caused nine people… to lose their lives on the spot,” while four others — three women and one man — were wounded and taken to a local hospital”

“The aggressions between communities do not contribute to the resolution of the problems. On the contrary, they contribute to bitterness,” the prosecutor’s office said

Saturday’s attack marks the second violent clash over land in Oaxaca this week, following an incident last Wednesday that claimed the lives of five individuals.

Land ownership disputes have long plagued communities in Mexico, particularly in Indigenous regions of the south. These conflicts often arise from historical land rights issues and the complexities of agrarian laws.