Police officer died and 79 taken hostage in Colombia protests

• Protests in Caquetá have resulted in one police officer being killed.
• And 79 others being held prisoner.
• With indigenous and rural people supporting Emerald Energy’s construction of new roads.

In the Caquetá province of southern Colombia, one police officer has died and 79 others have been held prisoner during demonstrations.

Once residents surrounded the Emerald Energy oil exploration company’s premises on Thursday, violence broke out.

They were requesting its assistance in mending and constructing new roads in the region.

Together with the police officers, a civilian was also killed and nine oilfield workers were taken into custody.

The captives may be seen on video seated in rows of chairs and on the floor in a crowded area.

Before any violence escalated, Colombian President Gustavo Petro expressed his hope that they would be “unilaterally” released and requested medical assistance from the Red Cross.

Indigenous and rural people who support Emerald Energy’s construction of new road infrastructure around the San Vicente del Caguan region make up a large portion of the protesters.

The Reuters news agency requested a comment from the oil corporation, but it received none.

The police officer who was murdered in the altercation—named Ricardo Monroy by Colombian police—was honored on Twitter.

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

According to representatives of the local government, the citizen was murdered by gunfire while the police was killed by a machete assault.

Colombia’s human rights ombudsman Carlos Camargo – who was on site to mediate – said he had spoken with demonstrators and stopped them from launching Molotov cocktails at the oil complex.

In Colombia, protests are frequent in regions close to mining and energy operations as locals demand that businesses develop roads and schools.

Police claimed a dissident Farc rebel subgroup that rejected the 2016 peace agreement was present in the area and may be to blame for the unrest.

Also, on Thursday, Mr. Petro unannouncedly posted a message on Twitter requesting that the nation’s attorney general launch a criminal inquiry into claims of wrongdoing involving his own son and brother.

The statement did not specify the accusations 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”.

Also Read

Colombian protesters clash with police on anniversary of unrest

Hundreds of demonstrators battled with police in various Colombian cities on the...