MEXICO CITY (AP) 鈥� Families of the 43 students from a rural teacher鈥檚 college in southern Mexico marked the painful anniversary Thursday, disillusioned after what they say was a decade of unfulfilled government promises.
Thousands marched with the families in the rain through capital, demanding the truth about what happened and justice for the missing.
鈥淭he first time we came through here, who could have imagined that all of this time would pass and (we're) here again without answers,鈥� said Margarito Guerrero, the father of missing student Jhosivani Guerrero de la Cruz.
Guerrero appreciated those who accompanied them, like Lourdes Silva, a homemaker, participating in her first march with her daughter, a student who has been following the families' movement for a decade.
鈥淲e need to keep pressuring,鈥� Silva said. 鈥淲e want this agony to end for the parents.鈥�
The anniversary falls just four days before the departure of President Andr茅s Manuel L贸pez Obrador, whose election in 2018 generated hope among the families.
His administration , established a Truth Commission and declared the disappearances a 鈥渟tate crime.鈥� But when the investigation stalled without the cooperation of the military, the president closed ranks with the generals.
鈥淗e gave us a lot of hope,鈥� said Joaquina Garc铆a, mother of missing student Mart铆n Getsemany S谩nchez. 鈥淏ut it looks like he really protects the military and that鈥檚 not fair.鈥�
, students from the Rural Normal School at Ayotzinapa went to Iguala to steal buses 鈥� a common way they obtained transportation. They were attacked by a local drug gang in cahoots with local, state and federal authorities.
Two administrations later, many details of what happened to the students and most importantly where they are remain unknown. They are among the more than 115,000 recorded missing in Mexico.
鈥淭en years of suffering, 10 years of pain, of not having your son isn鈥檛 easy,鈥� Garc铆a said at an event Thursday at Mexico鈥檚 National Autonomous University. 鈥淗ere we鈥檙e shouting to see if the people who took our children will find it in their heart.鈥�
Some 120 people are in custody. Mexico鈥檚 former attorney general has been charged in inventing a false narrative about what happened.
L贸pez Obrador had promised to solve the mystery. But on Wednesday, he downplayed, minimized and even pushed back against the findings of his own administration, asserting that those trying to link the military are driven by 鈥減olitical interests.鈥�
The United Nations Human Rights Office lamented in a statement Thursday the 鈥渦nsatisfactory results鈥� of authorities. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which sent experts to Mexico to aid in the investigation for eight years said in a statement it was worried the investigation had stalled and denounced a 鈥減act of silence that has impeded the identification of the perpetrators and those who cover for them.鈥�
The families are prepared to pressure as well.
鈥淲e're going to press her if she doesn't respond,鈥� Guerrero said.
Garc铆a agreed. 鈥淭his fight is not over.鈥�
Mar铆a Verza, The Associated Press
