Mexico will kick off celebrations tonight to mark the bicentennial of its independence from Spain. One town that won’t be celebrating is San Juan Copala, where violence has forced the cancellation of any official event.

Members of San Juan Copala’s indigenous autonomy movement say armed men from rival factions entered the town Monday, took over the local government building, and fired off automatic weapons. A local woman was reportedly injured by a high-caliber bullet, but has been unable to leave the town or seek medical attention.

A communiqué alleges that pro-autonomy residents have been given an ultimatum to either leave the town or face death.

Around 25 women and children displaced from San Juan Copala have been living in a protest encampment in downtown Oaxaca City since August 11th. They are all members of the movement that declared the town an autonomous municipality in January 2007.

The women moved their protest encampment a few blocks on Monday night from the central plaza (or zócalo) to the Santo Domingo church area. The state government had agreed to send tons of food and two police patrols to San Juan Copala in exchange for having the main square cleared of protests for the duration of Bicentennial celebrations.

Aside from the most recent reports of an armed incursion into San Juan Copala, two other violent events have marked the past 30 days in the region. Three people were killed and 2 injured in an ambush on August 22nd while organizing a caravan that aimed to allow women to safely leave the conflict zone. The caravan, which was due to leave the region the next day, was cancelled and has not been re-scheduled.

On Monday, Amnesty International called on the government to provide safety guarantees for 2 women who were attacked on September 7th as they went out to find food. One was allegedly gang raped and beaten upon capture while the other was shot while escaping on foot.

The territorial dispute over San Juan Copala has been deteriorating into a downward spiral of violence since late last year with the number of dead and injured growing each month. It’s precisely this level of violence makes reports from the area difficult – if not impossible – to independently confirm.

What is clear is that none of the alleged perpetrators have been taken into police custody and government authorities have demonstrated a lack of political will to ensure public security in the conflict zone.