Thousands of displaced residents in southern Mexico fear returning to their homes after violence

By RAÚL VERA
Associated Press

YAJALON, Mexico (AP) — Thousands of residents displaced by violence that intensified this week in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas remain fearful of returning to their homes. Authorities have had to set up camps for more than 4,000 displaced people who fled the town of Tila over the weekend and are working to bring them home, but the displaced are wary. Armed gangs shot up the town and burned many homes last week. Residents are now seeking refuge in an improvised encampment in the neighboring town of Yajalon. Some residents recounted spending days trapped in their homes before army troops and state police showed up to allow them to leave.