Colombian protestors take oil workers, police hostage, kill one with machete

Colombia's President Gustavo Petro, left, (with First Lady Veronica Alcocer and daughter Antonella Petro) has called for the immediate release of the hostages and ordered the country’s defence and interior ministers to visit the region and lead negotiations. Photo / AP

Protests over road maintenance in a Colombian town have descended into violence after demonstrators took dozens of police hostage and executed one with a machete.

The violent clashes in the town of San Vicente del Caguan, in the southern province of Caqueta, erupted on Thursday after members of rural and indigenous communities angered by the poor condition of roads in the area blockaded a compound belonging to an oil exploration company, Emerald Energy.

A civilian was also shot dead by riot police and nine oilfield workers were held captive alongside the police officers.

The protesters, who set alight oil wells, demanded help building and repairing roads in the area.

Gustavo Petro, the Colombian president, called for the immediate release of the hostages and ordered the country’s defence and interior ministers to visit the region and lead negotiations.

”I expect the release of government officials to avoid any escalation of violence,” he wrote on Twitter.

Local police paid tribute to the officer killed in the clashes. They identified him as Ricardo Monroy.

”Today we are more united than ever,” they wrote on social media, adding that Monroy had “offered his life in the line of duty”.

Many of the protesters are subsistence farmers, who live hand to mouth. They say improved infrastructure would allow them to sell their produce. Difficult terrain and narrow dirt tracks mean it is virtually impossible for many to transport their goods to market.

“This is a problem that has existed for years,” said William Fierro, a local councillor. “But there is only so much these communities can take. They struggle to survive while they witness the profits of an oil giant.

Colombia's President Gustavo Petro, left, accompanied by First Lady Veronica Alcocer and daughter, right, pictured on the balcony of the Nariño presidential palace in Bogota. Photo / AP

”Local and national government representatives were in talks with the protesters and community leaders yesterday.

”We’re continuing to closely monitor the situation,” said Sandra Preten from the regional government. “Oil wells continue to burn that were set alight during the violence, and we are concerned about the environmental impact.”

Protests in areas close to oil and mining projects are common in Colombia as communities push for companies to build infrastructure including roads and schools.

Police believe dissident factions of the Farc guerrilla group, who reject the country’s 2016 peace deal, could be fuelling unrest in the region.

Locals in San Vicente del Caguan said Emerald Energy had refused to pay extortion to the guerrillas, who are reportedly demanding a payment of $200,000 ($321,000).

Emerald Energy, a subsidiary of China’s state-owned chemicals conglomerate, Sinochem, has been present in Caqueta for 15 years. They did not respond to a request for comment.

Colombia’s insurgent groups target companies big and small with extortion as a way to finance their operations.

Local farming leaders said rebel fighters had ordered the community to protest earlier in the week.

One farmer said: “When they say jump, we say how high? But at the end of the day, this benefits us too. We do need the infrastructure to improve our quality of life.”