Protests continue against a multi-national company that plans to flood five towns in order to construct a hydroelectric plant, reported a local radio station Wednesday.
Local farmers, fisherman, and environmental activists who were violently ousted by the police last week continue to protest on the banks of the Magdalena River in the southwestern Huilo department.
The Quimbo Emgesa company, owned by the international energy giant The Endesa Group, plans to divert the Magdalena river in order power a new hydroelectric plant that Colombian officials claim will bring the country money and diplomatic power.
The protesters have continued occupying the riverbank in an attempt to stall the execution of what they call an “ecologically destructive” project that will decimate their towns and their livelihoods.
One man lost an eye and two others were injured when uniformed officers, who the protesters referred to as “Emgeso’s men,” violently disbanded the camp on February 14.
A video shot during the eviction and reporting on the allegedly excessive force used by the police has been watched over 400,000 times since it was published.
Video footage from the eviction
frame
