On the eve of the Ayotzinapa anniversary, anger spilled over outside Campo Militar 1. Protesters rammed a truck into a gate and set it on fire. No injuries were reported, but the image of flames at a military entrance captured the frustration that has built over 11 years without convictions. Families say the state still withholds key records. Officials promise progress, yet parents of the 43 see little movement. As marches fill Mexico City today, the question is whether public pressure will finally force the doors open.
Hours before the 11th anniversary of the disappearance of 43 Ayotzinapa students, protesters outside Campo Militar 1 in the Mexico City area used a cargo truck to knock down a gate and then set the vehicle ablaze. No injuries were reported. The scene unfolded on Thursday afternoon and was quickly confirmed by multiple outlets on the ground.
The action came after a rally by parents and supporters demanding the Army hand over files they say could clarify what soldiers and intelligence units knew as the 2014 attacks unfolded. Protesters also threw small explosive devices toward the entrance before flames took hold in the truck, according to eyewitness reports and video.
Campo Militar 1 protest
The timing was not accidental. Today, September 26, marks 11 years since the students vanished in Iguala, a case a federal truth commission labeled a “state crime” in 2022. Despite arrests over the past decade—including former security officials—Mexico still has no convictions. Families say promises of new lines of inquiry have yet to produce answers.
In recent weeks, relatives met with President Claudia Sheinbaum, leaving dissatisfied and insisting that the Army release what they describe as hundreds of pages tracking movements and calls the night of the attacks. The government has pledged to strengthen the special prosecutor’s office and pursue pending extraditions, but parents say access to military records remains the test of political will.
What happens next
Mexico City is prepared for large marches and traffic closures today tied to the anniversary. Organizers plan to keep pressure on authorities through public mobilizations while lawyers push for court-ordered access to documents. For families, the fire at the base gate was less a tactic than a symbol: after 11 years, patience is gone, and the demand is simple—open the files, name the chain of command, and show where the truth has been kept.
