A wave of violence in Mexico after a drug lord is killed

0:00Today on State of the World, a wave of violence in Mexico after a drug lord is killed. You're listening to State of the World from NPR. We bring you the day's most vital international stories, up close where they're happening. It's Monday, February 23rd. I'm Greg Dixon. In a few minutes, we meet one of the last newspaper hawkers in Paris. But first, Mexico's most powerful drug lord is killed, and chaos is unleashed. Mexico's military says they killed the drug cartel leader known as El Mencho during an operation to capture him. Following his death, parts of Mexico erupted in violence. Armed men set banks, businesses, and vehicles on fire.

0:47Even as the situation calms, schools are closed and many are staying indoors. To understand what's happening, we turn to NPR's Mexico correspondent, Eder Peralta. He's in Guadalajara, one of the city's affected. He spoke to Juana Summers. Anir, just start by telling us what you're hearing and seeing there. I mean, the city's calm, eerily calm. Nearly all businesses are closed. From the air as I landed, I saw a haze over the city because there's still a few burning vehicles outside the city. The airport was a mess because a lot of people missed their flights yesterday. They were canceled, so they're sleeping on the floor trying to find a way out.

1:24The U.S. has told its citizens to keep sheltering in place, and the State Department is operating a hotline for anyone stuck here. A little bit ago, I was at the zoo because about 1 ,000 people spent the night there. They were too afraid to take to the roads. And I spoke to the zoo director. He hadn't slept. The last bus of visitors had just left. But he was smiling and proud. He said that as the city was burning yesterday, they were focused on keeping the kids busy. They had the zoo to themselves. They fed the animals. They rode the cable car. and he says that luckily they had no idea what was going on outside the gates.

2:03Just incredible. Tell us, Eder, who is El Mencho? Why is he so important? So his name was Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, but he was known as El Mencho. He was 59 years old, and within the past 10 years, he turned the Jalisco New Generation Cartel into one of the biggest organized crime groups in the world. They took over a whole lot of territory in Mexico and began operating outside the country, in Europe and the U.S. The U.S. says El Mencho's cartel trafficked billions of dollars worth of cocaine and fentanyl into the U.S. El Mencho has been indicted several times in American courts, and the U.S.

2:36had put a$15 million bounty on his head. What do we know at this point about how he was captured? The Mexican military says their intelligence, along with U.S. intelligence, identified someone they called a romantic partner. El Mencho met up with that person at a cabin in the state of Jalisco, and the Mexican military sent its special forces there to capture him. There was an intense firefight. El Mencho was injured and the Mexican military says he died while he was being transported by air. 25 members of Mexico's National Guard were killed. 30 members of the cartel were killed. This morning, during a press briefing, General Ricardo Trevilla-Trejo, Mexico's defense minister, got emotional as he gave his condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers.

3:21También, vamos.

3:33And what he's saying there is clearly they had accomplished their mission. And what did they prove, he asked. They proved the strength of the Mexican state. And to that point, Eder, President Trump has often threatened to use force against cartels in Mexico. We've heard him called the Mexican state weak and run by cartels. Does this change things? I think it at least undermines President Trump's arguments and his vision of the Mexican government as either too compromised or too scared to take action against the cartels. This is one of the deadliest operations for Mexico's military in recent memory.

4:07And experts I've talked to say that this is likely just the beginning. We know that when the government takes out a big cartel leader like this, there's a power vacuum and violence spikes. After El Mayo Zambada was captured a year ago, a whole war erupted. Almost 3 ,000 Mexicans have been killed in that fighting. So these types of operations have serious costs. And this is hard proof that the Mexican president is willing to make tough decisions to fight organized crime. And that image is exactly the opposite of the one that President Trump has painted. NPR's Eder Peralta, thank you. Thank you.

4:44In Paris, like most places, there are fewer newspapers. That means fewer newspaper hawkers, people selling them on the street. But one man in Paris is keeping the job alive, and he's recently been given a knighthood for it. Rebecca Rossman introduces us to him. Breaking news, breaking news. If Paris' Six Arrondissements has a signature sound, it might be this voice. Breaking news. Ali Akbar, who for more than 50 years has been making the rounds on his second-hand bike across the Left Bank neighborhood's cafés and brasseries, waving a stack of fresh newspapers like Le Monde.

5:27Saillet, his catchphrase, meaning that's it. Over the years, he's sold papers to everyone from Elton John to Bill Clinton. At first, Akbar was one of several dozen newspaper hawkers. Today, he's believed to be the last one in Paris. Last month, one of his old customers, French President, Emmanuel Macron recognized that, awarding Akbar the National Order of Merit, one of the country's highest honors. You are the accent of the sixth arrondissement, Macron told Akbar in a ceremony at the Élysée Palace, the voice of the French press. At 73 years old, Akbar still works seven days a week. Ten hours a day.

6:17That's rain or shine. Born in Ralpindi, Pakistan, the oldest of ten children, he says growing up in poverty, he had one big dream, to make enough money to build his mom a house. So just before his 18th birthday, he left home, determined to make a better life abroad. Then I started to work hard and to send money to help my family and build a home. That's it. He arrived in Paris in 1973 and took up newspaper selling after an Argentinian friend suggested he join him. Akbar quickly fell in love with the job and thought nothing of working 18-hour days.

6:57But that doesn't mean things were easy. He often slept on the streets to save money. I was always thinking my mother and her children, and I did it. He built his mom her house. And he kept making a modest living selling papers, despite hardships and abuse he sometimes faced. Throughout it, he's stayed positive. You can meet the bad people everywhere. And there are also good people everywhere. These days, everywhere he walks, Akbar is greeted with cheers and smiling faces. Strangers stop him every few minutes to congratulate him. But for his family, the honor he received is also about healing. His son Shamshad Akbar says the recognition has put a bandage on old wounds.

7:44Ali Akbar says the president also promised him French citizenship. The Elysee wouldn't comment when NPR asked about it. People in the neighborhood say Ali Akbar has given them something priceless, a chance for daily human connection. Here's longtime customer Michel Mimron. He's interested in you, and then you're interested in him, and this is very rare now in the big cities. These days, Akbar says he's lucky to make about 60 euros a day, around$70, selling papers. And when he finally goes someday, the newspaper hawker trade in Paris will go with him. But his impact on the neighborhood? Yes, I have realized my dream.

8:23That's something that will keep people here talking. Rebecca Rossman, NPR News, Paris.

8:33That's the State of the World from NPR. Thanks for listening.