A stoppage by transport workers Tuesday demanding the government cap the price of gasoline has blocked the Pan-American Highway and has affected approximately 300,000 people in Pasto, the capital of the southwestern Nariño department, Colombian media reported.
According to a visual report by CM&, during the stoppage protesters threw stones, there were confrontations with the police, and riot trucks were brought in. In addition, police reported disturbances in several zones in the city.
The root cause of the protest was the high price of gasoline in the city. Various media sources have reported the price of gasoline in the city as being between $3.90 and $4.22 per gallon.
Miguel Angel Portilla, a Pasto merchant told financial publication Portafolio “it is not fair that in the city of Pasto a gallon of gasoline costs $4.00 while in other nearby municipalities like Tangua or La Florida it has the value of $2.81.”
Eduardo Alvarado Santander, Mayor of Pasto in southwest Colombian told Radio Nacional de Colombia they hope for a response from the government about a reduction in fuel price before September 30.