More than 5,000 indigenous Mexicans including pregnant women, sick children and the elderly have been forced to flee their homes because of a land war between rival villages, authorities said Thursday.
A 40-year-old conflict in the southern state of Chiapas between the communities of Chenalho and Chalchihuitan has escalated recently as heavily-armed gunmen torched houses and forced people to flee at gunpoint, according to Catholic priests in the area.