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The article focuses on the security strategy of Mexico particularly towards criminal enterprises related to the illicit drug trade. Topics discussed include a background on the growth of drug-trafficking organizations against the strategy of former president Felipe Calderón, the impact of international trafficking, the new approach to security of then presidential candidate Pena Nieto, the rise of vigilante self-defense groups in Michoacán, and the components of Plan Colombia.

The article informs that parliament of Burkina Faso has voted to provide funding and training to local vigilantes to fight Islamist Jihadists posing a threat against Burkina Faso. It mentions that the vigilantes' attention was trained on protecting the country from that threat in the aftermath of a series of terrorist attacks by Islamist Jihadists linked with Islamic State and alQaida.

The article reports about the disassociation of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) in Nigeria. MEND has been separated from the militant campaign. According to a spokesman for MEND the government claimed to kill seven militants but they did not die until six of them were detained by local vigilantes.

The article discusses the government crackdown on drug trafficking launched by Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto at the Lázaro Cárdenas port in the state of Michoacán, Mexico, on November 4, 2013. It discusses the possible increase in violence driven by the emergence of vigilante groups and the competition for territory among drug cartels as the federal government implements the crackdown.

The article reports on the emergence of self-defense groups in Michoacan, Mexico established to fight drug cartels in the area. It reports on the vigilante groups' activities against the Knights Templar, an offshoot of the former criminal organization La Familia. It explores the relationship of the self-defense groups with the Mexican government and its implication on Mexican national security. The challenges faced by the Mexican government in addressing organized crime are also discussed.

The article discusses the emergence of vigilante or self-defense groups, which claim to address persistent violence and organized crime in Mexico. The groups operate in 68 municipalities according to one report. Concerns were raised that some of the groups were involved in human rights abuses. According to regional security policy senior associate Adam Isacson of the Washington Office on Latin America, the existence of funding sources will partly determine whether such groups will persist.