Story perspectives

Mothers March for 133,601 Missing; Sheinbaum Rejects UN Claim

5/12/2026

Summary

Mothers March

On May 10, 2026, mothers of the disappeared marched in Mexico City on Mother’s Day demanding justice.
Activists displayed flyers listing 133,601 missing and unlocated people as the march moved from the Monument to the Mother to the Angel of Independence.
Mexico Evalua reported a 200% rise in disappearances blamed on organized crime, President Claudia Sheinbaum having rejected the UN Committee’s claim that the scale could constitute a crime against humanity.

Summary

Peace Brigades Advocate

Mexico created a Special Search Commission on November 3 2022 to investigate forced disappearances.
In February 2026, Manuel Jabonero of Peace Brigades International (PBI)-Mexico and Brent Patterson of Peace Brigades International (PBI)-Canada met leader Francisco Cerezo in Mexico City.
Nadin Reyes Maldonado met UN High Commissioner Volker Türk on April 21 2026 to urge acknowledgment of the forced-disappearance crisis.
Since 2002, Peace Brigades International has accompanied the Cerezo Committee, protecting families searching for missing relatives.

History

Historical Context

Calderón’s 2006 launch of Operation Michoacán militarized Mexico’s drug war, producing at least 60,000 deaths and an estimated 27,000 disappearances by 2013. The National Human Rights Commission and the United Nations have tracked these losses, fueling today’s protests as mothers march from the Monument to the Mother toward the Angel of Independence, demanding accountability from Sheinbaum’s administration.

1 of 3

Mothers March

On May 10, 2026, mothers of the disappeared marched in Mexico City on Mother’s Day demanding justice.
Activists displayed flyers listing 133,601 missing and unlocated people as the march moved from the Monument to the Mother to the Angel of Independence.
Mexico Evalua reported a 200% rise in disappearances blamed on organized crime, President Claudia Sheinbaum having rejected the UN Committee’s claim that the scale could constitute a crime against humanity.

1 / 3