Dozens of kidnapped police and oil workers in Colombia have been released after they were taken hostage by protesters who attacked an oil field to demand better road infrastructure, the government said.
The announcement of the release was made by President Gustavo Petro on Friday evening.
Earlier on Friday, the country’s defense, interior and transport ministers were dispatched to San José de Caguán, in the southern province of Caquetá, where 79 police officers and nine oilfield workers were taken hostage by protesters on Thursday, according to the government. He said a policeman and a civilian were killed.
Residents have been sporadically protesting and blocking roads for 40 days at the oilfield, which is owned by Emerald Energy, a subsidiary of China’s huge chemical group Sinochem, according to ACP, the Colombian oil and gas association.
Protests escalated on Thursday as facilities at an oil field were set on fire while protesters clashed with police. Videos circulating on social media appear to show unarmed police being driven away from a truck.
Petro, widely regarded as Colombia’s first modern left-wing leader, quickly condemned the attack: “We have a popular movement that, through its exclusion and the influence of groups that want to destroy this government and subsume Colombia in the war, ended up murdering a young policeman.
Since taking office in August, Petro sought to quickly move Colombia away from oil. A tax reform passed in December included the repeal of a law that allowed oil and coal companies to deduct royalty payments from their tax bills, and a windfall tax on profits. Its Minister of Mines has repeatedly promised to stop new exploration projects.
“We respectfully call on the national government to intervene, restore public order and also prosecute those responsible for this criminal act,” ACP President Francisco José Lloreda said in a statement Thursday.
The country’s human rights ombudsman warned last month that the simmering protests could escalate if a solution is not found between the government, the company and the community.
Analysts say Petro’s stance on the extractive industry, alongside his promises of generous social programs, may have emboldened local communities who are now rising up against the multinationals.
“It points to a more serious crisis that has been driven in large part by the president’s rhetoric,” said Sergio Guzmán, who heads Colombia Risk Analysis, a political risk consultancy. “People in rural areas are now taking it upon themselves to force companies either to keep their social commitments or to make new ones.”
Emerald Energy did not respond to requests for comment. According to their website, the company produces 8,000 barrels per day. Colombia produces around 750,000 b/d domestically, with oil and mining accounting for more than half of Colombia’s exports.