AFTER a week of surprise guerrilla attacks which left 15 dead and 30 injured, President Ernesto Zedillo yesterday deployed troops and police throughout Mexico, promising to apply "the force of the state" to defeat the rebels.
The Popular Revolutonary Army (EPR), first appeared on June 28th, in Guerrero, southwest of Mexico City, at the anniversary of the 1994 massacre of 17 unarmed peasants by state police. The guerrillas demanded the resignation of President Zedillo, a transition government, a new constitution and respect for human rights. The government initially dismissed the rebel group as "an armed pantomime" but attacks have left dozens of soldiers and police dead, as the rebels struck at tourist resorts and the outskirts of the capital.
Meanwhile, the government had more bad news yesterday, as the Zapatista guerrillas in southeast Mexico broke off dialogue and assumed "defensive positions" anticipating a tough government response. The Zapatistas demanded the release of 16 alleged rebels, imprisoned for over a year, a change in the government negotiating team and the full implementation of the first rebel government accord, indigenous rights and culture, signed last February.
"It's as if no negotiations ever took place," said Subcomandante Marcos, the rebel spokesman. "The dialogue is a dead letter." The government was anxious to play down the rebel declaration and highlight the differences between the Zapatistas and the EPR. "The EPR is a terrorist organisation with no support base," said Mr Zedillo, contrasting them with the more moderate Chiapan rebels.
In a letter to the EPR, Subcomandante Marcos denounced government attempts to divide the rebels into "goodies and baddies" but also distanced the Zapatistas from the EPR who previously offered them "unconditional support". "I just want to let you know that we don't want your support," read the rebel message. "We don't need it and aren't looking for it. The government promised to hunt down the new guerrilla group while respecting human rights, but detained EPR suspects claimed that torture was used to obtain confessions while opposition activists in rural areas were warned not to leave their homes between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.