Beyond the Drug War: Violence, Forced Displacement and Shale Gas in Northeastern Mexico (2000-2020)

This article presents the results of exploratory research on forced displacement in Mexico, based on the case of its northeastern region – bordering the United States – in which several municipalities have been affected by the dynamics of violence and depopulation over the last twenty years (2000-2020), during the “drug war”. The study develops a spatial and statistical analysis that links forced displacement, as a product of criminal violence, and the presence of significant oil and gas deposits in this region. The main result is that the municipalities that appear to be the most affected by violence are located in the Burgos Basin area, which contains the largest reserve of shale gas in the country.