I was invited to the recent launch of four academic reports on the Colombian countryside, commissioned by the National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH), coordinated and paid for by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP in English, PNUD in Spanish).
Fuel shortages, imported gasoline, a protested related death, soaring food prices, accusations of corruption and violence along Colombian roads are just a few of the consequences reported from the truckers’ strike that is already well into its second month.
Never a group to pass up a good opportunity for a strike, the USO said that it is “combative and present” in the ongoing truckers’ strike.
The Nasa Kiwnas Cxhab indigenous community in Putumayo accused Gran Tierra Energy (TSX:GTE) of desecrating a holy site and exposing its community to risk, and claims that the Ministry of the Interior has not recognized its presence in an area granted an environmental license. UPDATED with commentary by Gran Tierra.
The list of communities taking legal action, through popular referendums, POT zoning ordinances, court actions or other tactics, continues to grow. The latest to join the fray is the Morelia Municipality in Caquetá.
A year after a blockade and protest led to intervention from riot police and national attention, residents in Valparaiso, Caquetá have again opposed reactivated exploration activities. This depicts the challenge for the industry to reach areas with potential for oil production that have previously been off limits due to the armed conflict.
It seemed only inevitable that with several weeks of advances at the peace talks in Havana that there would be setbacks. This week one of the Farc’s factions said it would not give up its arms, and a confusing incident between the guerrilla and the military shows how fragile the peace actually is.
Another conflict brewing in Putumayo has come about after a community fully-rejected a seismic program in its territory during a prior consultation, but the license was granted, providing a test case on the limits of the process.
Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) has signed onto one of the largest efforts in Colombia to protect endangered wildlife species, in conjunction with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and others. This and other environmental stories in our periodic summary.
The Finance Ministry’s (MinHacienda) plan to cover medium-term gaps in its budget created by a loss of oil income are drawing skepticism from analysts, who doubt that tax increases, a widened deficit and a “new economy” based on new and traditional sectors will cover the lack of oil income.
2026, Hydrocarbons Colombia, All Rights Reserved.
