Congressional elections are less than three weeks away, adding another layer of uncertainty over an already clouded view of the peace process. The incoming congress will have to address a number of legal issues regarding the transition process. But who will make up that congress?
Incidents near areas of interest to the oil and gas industry were down slightly to 27 below recent and long-term averages. Non-Armed Forces-reported incidents were below average both in absolute terms and as a percentage of the total. This is our indicator of increased guerrilla-initiated activity. Our 4-week Moving Average incident count was down at 33.8 and the 52 week average was also down at 31.2 incidents per week.
The controversy from last week’s headline’s that government agents were spying on delegates at the roundtable in Havana, Cuba did not spill over into this week, as congressional members look to alternatives to speed the stalling talks.
In the Putumayo Department, 2014 has kicked off with a wave of violence that has cost 30 lives to date, among them three community leaders and an oil engineer, and the region’s representative to the lower congressional house has called for help from the national government and military.
Community protests accusing Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) of not holding up to social investment promises took a violent turn over the weekend, with more than 26 arrests and violent clashes between riot police and protesters.
Incidents near areas of interest to the oil and gas industry were down to 28 below recent and long-term averages. Non-Armed Forces-reported incidents were below average both in absolute terms and as a percentage of the total. This is our indicator of increased guerrilla-initiated activity. Our 4-week Moving Average incident count was down at 38.8 and the 52 week average was also down at 31.5 incidents per week.
This week revelations that a clandestine group has been monitoring phone calls of those involved in the peace process on both sides has set off a storm of attention and controversy, with the Farc accusing former President Alvaro Uribe of being behind the spy program.
Among the possible alternatives to ease transportation problems involving oil tanker-trucks are license plate restrictions that would limit when a specific truck could be on the roadway, while the authorities debate the controversial issue between different entities
This week the United Nations held its second regional summit of Latin American leaders in Havana, Cuba and the peace talks in Colombia were a recurrent theme, while back in Colombia some question whether a fissure in the Farc’s organization is already taking place.
The accumulated losses from multiples strikes and protests in 2013 cost the Colombian economy a total of CoP$1.8T (US$893.9M), with the largest loss coming from the August 2013 general strike. The oil industry has felt the effect due to reduced transportation options, and frozen fuel prices have eaten into Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) revenue.
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