The contingent set out to cover the route to the municipalities of Tonalá and Arriaga, and then on to the state capital, the city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez. | Photo: EFE

Mexico City, November 4 (RHC)-- The March for Peace, Justice and for the Freedom of Migrants, which brings together some 4,000 migrants from 12 nations, mostly Central Americans, continued its advance on Wednesday through municipalities in the south of the Mexican state of Chiapas.

The contingent, which left Tapachula on October 23rd with the intention of arriving in Mexico City and seeking answers to their requests for refuge, covered the route between the municipality of Galeana and the municipal capital of Pijijiapan, where they spent the night.

The director of the Center for Human Dignification, Luis García Villagrán, told the media that the caravan advanced faster than in previous days.  He added that they planned to continue on their way to the municipalities of Tonalá and Arriaga, and then head towards the state capital, the city of Tuxtla Gutiérrez.

During this day, the death of another migrant who was wounded on Monday was reported, when members of the National Guard (GN) shot at a van that did not stop at a checkpoint, and in which presumably several caravanists were traveling.

In this regard, during his press conference, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador condemned the actions of the GN and emphasized that there are ways to stop those who violate the law without the need to shoot, especially if the migrants did not shoot at the soldiers.

He added that he instructed members of his Cabinet and the Attorney General's Office to investigate the case, so that those responsible will be held accountable for this action.

Also on Wednesday, the human rights defender of migrants, Irineo Mujica, accused the National Institute of Migration (INM) of having unleashed violence and fomented xenophobia against the migrant caravan.  He said that the federal agency systematically attacks this peaceful movement in order to stop it.  In addition, he asked the United Nations and Mexican human rights organizations to protect the caravanists.

According to local media, the migrants have already covered about 150 kilometers since leaving Tapachula, a city on the southern coast of Chiapas and bordering Guatemala