The FARC continued its
recent spate of attacks against Colombia’s oil infrastructure, blowing up the
Caño Limon-Coveñas in the municipality of Catatumbo, a known FARC stronghold,
in northern Colombia. The FARC restarted its attacks after it suspended its
unilateral ceasefire on May 22nd. Though Colombian state oil company
Ecopetrol immediately halted
oil flow through the pipeline and initiated its contingency plan, oil still
spilled from the pipeline. The oil spill contaminated a nearby river, and the
water supply to 16,000 people needed to be cut.
According to local eye witnesses, the FARC also set
fire to local wells and 12 homes, displacing 50 families who had been
living in the area. Ecopetrol announced that it had shut down all operations to
avoid additional oil spills and that the Colombian military had been deployed
to the area to protect oil workers as they make repairs to the pipeline.
While some news reports focused on the human cost of the
attack, other outlets spoke
of the environmental devastation caused by the oil spill. The Rio Catatumbo has
now been contaminated by oil, and the authorities are alert to any danger it
might pose.
In related news, Colombian business journal Portafolio
reports that foreign direct investment in Colombia fell by 33.9% in May. The
lower numbers were driven by a reduction in investment in Colombia’s oil and
mining sectors. At a time when Colombia is looking to boost its oil sector, the
Colombian authorities must worry that increased FARC attacks against oil infrastructure
will just further suppress oil investment.
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