The Colombian government has neglected to comply with their own timeline to help the northeastern U’wa indigenous group cope with a damaged oil pipeline, the indigenous people said Sunday.
Hundreds of Colombia’s U’wa indigenous community engaged in a pacifist sit-in protest when they learned that the Colombian government was not going to a meeting the two parties previously had agreed to.
| “Now with more reason, we will keep fighting, because we reached an agreement on the basis of faith, and we are people of our written and spoken word.” |
MORE: Government reaches agreement with indigenous group allowing oil pipeline repair
The meeting the government and the U’wa had pending for June 1 was suppose to discuss completed repairs of the Caño Limon Pipeline, the possibility of extending the pipeline’s suspension and the completion of a environmental impact study, according to Colombia’s W Radio.
The Caño Limon Pipeline, located in the indigenous territory of northeastern Colombia, was sabotaged in March by rebel group ELN.
Talks with the Colombian government gave the U’wa little other options but allow Colombia’s state-run energy giant Ecopetrol to enter the territory and repair the pipeline.
The government through their negotiations was suppose to return to the territory to evaluate the work that had been done and discuss resuming operations of the oil pipeline.
MORE: Ministers ‘left us waiting’ for oil pipeline talks: indigenous group
Another meeting that took place on May 1 between the U’wa community and the Minister of Energy, Amylkar Acosta, Minister of the Interior, Aurelio Iragorri, and Ecopetrol representatives, arrived at the accord to repair the oil pipeline and hold a follow-up meeting a month from that date.
The pipeline repairs were completed on May 10 according to Ecopetrol president, and follow-up meetings to inspect the repairs were done on May 19 and 20th.
Pipeline crossing U’wa territory
Sources
- Gobierno vuelve a incumplir, según indígenas U’wa (W Radio)
- Este fin de semana quedaría reparado el oleoducto Caño Limón – Coveñas (Caracol Radio)
- Colombia’s U’was Say No to Gas Drilling in Their Territory (Upside Down World)
