What's going on with the Zapatistas (EZLN)? I think everyone who watches Mexico has asked that in the past two weeks.
First, the EZLN's leader Subcommander Marcos issued a statement going on "red alert". Then they said they are not resuming military action but "something else". In the meantime, the Mexican government prepared military forces to take out drug growers and traffickers in the South, then released a strong statement stressing that the action had nothing to do with the EZLN. Now there are rumors that the first statement may not have actually been issued by Marcos but an imposter within the EZLN.
Oppenheimer says some within the Mexican government believe there is a split within the Zapatistas and that Marcos may be ready to lay down his weapons. After eleven years of stalemate in southern Mexico, that would really shake up the situation in Chiapas and would probably increase the political clout of Marcos nationwide.
The truth is nobody is quite sure what is going on with the Zapatistas. In the past eleven years, they have been an organization based more around propaganda than action. However, many analysts carefully watch because they do have weapons, the extent of their organization is unknown and they could possibly create serious disruptions within Mexico if they ever decide to rise up again.
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