Armed assault leaves state official and ex-mayor dead on Guerrero roadway
In a shocking turn of events, Hossein Nabor Guillén, the deputy welfare minister for social policy in the Guerrero state government, was brutally murdered on Tuesday. The crime occurred on the Chilpancingo-Tlapa highway in the municipality of Tixtla, near a car dealership and pozole restaurant.
Nabor, who served as the mayor of Tixtla from 2015 to 2018, had recently left his position to contest the state election as a candidate for deputy for the Morena party. His main rival for the Tixtla deputy position was Jorge Iván Ortega, a state lawmaker who represents the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD).
The Guerrero Attorney General's Office is currently investigating the crime, and the motive for the attack is not immediately clear. However, it's important to note that since Governor Evelyn Salgado took office in October 2021, five local government leaders (four mayors, one mayor-elect, and seven former mayors) have been murdered in Guerrero.
The newspaper La Jornada has reported accusations against Nabor, suggesting that he allowed the criminal group Los Ardillos to operate in and around Tixtla during his tenure as mayor. Notably, Jorge Iván Ortega, the current deputy for the Revolutionary Democratic Party in Guerrero, is the nephew of Celso Ortega, identified as the leader of Los Ardillos.
In May 2024, during the campaign period, a photo emerged of Nabor and Celso Ortega sharing a hug in a Chilpancingo restaurant. Interestingly, former Chilpancingo mayor Norma Otilia Hernández Martínez was expelled from the Morena party for meeting with Celso Ortega, but Nabor did not suffer the same fate.
It's worth mentioning that Nabor was a close ally of Senator Félix Salgado, the father of Governor Evelyn Salgado, who backed his candidacy in the 2024 state election in Guerrero. Governor Salgado conveyed her condolences to Nabor's family in a social media post following the tragic incident.
In the first seven months of 2025, Guerrero recorded 870 homicides, according to federal government data. Los Ardillos is reported to dominate criminal action in the central region of Guerrero, raising concerns about the safety and security of the state's residents.
This unfortunate incident underscores the ongoing challenges faced by Guerrero in its fight against crime and violence. The state government and law enforcement agencies are urged to take swift and decisive action to ensure the safety and security of its citizens.
