Overview

• The Ejército Purépecha de Libertad Mexicana surfaced on July 25 with a video message from a masked Comandante Arango framing itself as a grassroots civil resistance born of social exhaustion over extortion, floor fees and kidnappings.
• The group issued an ultimatum to state authorities, warning that armed mobilization would begin in Cotija and expand through the region if alleged criminal cells are not confronted.
• Comandante Arango accused mayors in Los Reyes, Peribán, Cotija, Tingüindín and Uruapan of colluding with organized crime and called on residents in multiple municipalities to join their cause.
• Michoacán’s government dismissed the new army as a cartel front linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and refused to engage with its demands.
• Michoacán has a legacy of self-defense groups that were later infiltrated or disbanded, raising doubts about the Ejército Purépecha’s independence and the potential security consequences.