Colombian protests: 79 police men freed after being hostage

• Colombian President Gustavo Petro had called for the dismissal of the 79 cops and nine Emerald Energy employees.
• Police officers and oilfield employees who were hostage during protests in Colombia.
• During the unrest, a police officer and a civilian have already been killed

President Petro says a number of police officers and oilfield employees who were hostage during protests in Colombia’s southern Caquetá state have been released.

On Thursday, residents blockaded an oil exploration company’s compound, resulting in violence. They were requesting its assistance in constructing roads in the area.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro had called for the dismissal of the 79 cops and nine Emerald Energy employees.

During the unrest, a police officer and a civilian have already been killed

Mr. Petro called on detectives to locate those guilty of the two killings after announcing the release of the hostages, who were videotaped sitting in a cramped area on the floor.

They were killed by gunshots, according to Interior Minister Alfonso Prada.

More united than ever

Many of the demonstrators are indigenous and rural residents who want Emerald Energy to create new road infrastructure in the San Vicente del Caguan area.

Colombian police recognized the officer killed in the fight as Ricardo Monroy and paid respect to him on Twitter.

“Now we are more united than ever,” they wrote, adding that Mr. Monroy had “given his life in the line of duty”.

Colombia’s human rights ombudsman, Carlos Camargo, who was on the scene to mediate, said he spoke with demonstrators and prevented them from throwing petrol bombs at the oil complex.

Protests are prevalent in Colombian villages near energy and mining operations as residents demand that businesses develop infrastructure such as roads and schools.

According to police, a dissident section of Farc rebels who rejected the 2016 peace pact were present in the region and may have sparked the unrest.

Separately, Mr. Petro abruptly issued a message on Twitter on Thursday, requesting that the country’s prosecutor general launch a criminal inquiry into claims of corruption involving his own son and brother.

The message did not explain the claims against his eldest son, Nicolas Petro Burgos, and brother, Juan Fernando Petro Urrego, but it did say: “my government will not give out benefits to criminals in exchange for bribes”.

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