Roman Catholic Church officials have reportedly helped ease tensions between two drug cartels wreaking havoc in southern Mexico, according to the Associated Press.

Unspecified clerics began meeting with Mexican drug cartel leaders in mid-February 2024 in hopes of negotiating a possible peace agreement. according to To AP. The newspaper reported that church leaders had tried to divide areas where extortion fees and drug dealing were taking place, and to get the cartels to talk to each other to reduce widespread killings. (Related: US investigates ties between drug cartels and allies of Mexican president: Report)

Although the initial talks apparently did not go well, Pastor Jose Filiberto Velasquez said that recent negotiations between church officials and leaders of the Tlaxos gang, known as the notorious Familia Michoacana Cartel and Mountain Cartel, He said that the discussions seemed to have led to the following results. The Associated Press reported that the attack had “stopped.”

“The armed conflict that existed in the area where the attack occurred has ceased,” Velasquez, who knew only about the negotiations, told the outlet.

Velázquez warned that an agreement was “a step behind the curve,” but the state of Guerrero, located in southern Mexico, is reportedly experiencing a number of gruesome murders that are calming down.

A few days ago, the country's law enforcement authorities confirmed that a video of a deadly drug cartel attack was circulating online. according to Go to CBS News. Video showed gunmen believed to be members of the Tracos gang shooting, kicking and burning the corpse of rival Familia Michoacana.

Mexican prosecutors were able to discover the charred bodies of five people on their way to the remote scene in the mountain town of Totlapan. However, CBS News reported that at least 15 people are believed to have been seen in the video. It's unclear where the other bodies were placed, but this is not the gang's first mass killing, with both men frequently posting videos of dead or captured members, according to the Associated Press. That's what it means.

Previous negotiations involving four bishops reportedly failed because the two gangs wanted to fight over outlying territory, leading to transport links being cut off in at least two cities. Dozens of people were reportedly killed. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador praised “very good” talks between church officials and cartel members, but at least one critic balked at the government's apparent lack of involvement.

“It's a tacit recognition that they (the government) cannot provide a safe environment,” one priest told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. “We definitely need to talk to certain people, especially when it comes to people's safety, but that doesn't mean we agree with it.”

“If the government had done its job right, we wouldn't have to do this.”

It is unclear how long the negotiating agreement will last and whether the government will ultimately intervene.

According to the Associated Press, the Mexican government's clear policy of avoiding direct conflict with the cartels has led some citizens to enter into separate peace agreements with the cartels.