Disabled Man Is Lone Resident of a Mexican Town Ravaged by Drug Violence
Villagers fled en masse from Ixtayotla after gunmen attacked nearby communities
August 7, 2013— -- Welcome to Ixtayotla, Mexico. Population: 1.
The residents of this town in Guerrero, a state in southwestern Mexico, fled their homes last week after gunmen attacked several nearby communities, kidnapping people and possibly forcing some to join their ranks.
All the members of Ixtayotla's 36 families abandoned the area on foot and on a few pickup trucks, save for one man, Victor Manuel, whose mental disability prevented him from joining the rest of the villagers.
The drug war in Mexico has forced some 140,000 people to flee their homes since 2007, according to human rights groups. Just last week, some 800 people in the mountains of Guerrero fled their villages, as criminal groups tried to assert control over parts of the strategically positioned state.
To learn more about Victor Manuel and his tragic role in Mexico's refugee crisis, click on the video above.