Bermuda Post

Monday, Mar 20, 2023

Colombia protests: Seventy-nine police officers freed after being taken hostage

Colombia protests: Seventy-nine police officers freed after being taken hostage

A group of police officers and oilfield workers taken hostage during protests in Colombia's southern Caquetá province have been freed, President Petro says.
Violence erupted on Thursday after residents blockaded an oil exploration company's compound. They were demanding its help to build roads in the area.

Colombian leader Gustavo Petro had called for the 79 officers and nine Emerald Energy employees to be let go.

A police officer and a civilian have already been killed during the unrest.

Announcing the release of the hostages, who were filmed sitting in a crowded room on the floor, Mr Petro called on investigators to find those responsible for the two deaths.

Interior Minster Alfonso Prada said earlier on Friday that they were killed by gunfire.

Many of the protesters are rural and indigenous people who want Emerald Energy to build new road infrastructure around the San Vicente del Caguan area.

The oil company did not respond when approached by Reuters news agency for comment.

Colombian police paid tribute on Twitter to the police officer killed in the clash, who they named as Ricardo Monroy.

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

Colombia's human rights ombudsman Carlos Camargo - who was on site to mediate - said he had spoken to protesters and stopped them from throwing petrol bombs at the oil facility.

Protests in areas near energy and mining operations in Colombia are common as communities demand companies build infrastructure, including roads and schools.

Police said a dissident subgroup of Farc rebels which rejected the 2016 peace deal were present in the region and may have been provoking the unrest.

Separately, Mr Petro on Thursday unexpectedly published a statement on Twitter asking the country's prosecutor general to conduct a criminal investigation into allegations of corruption 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".
Newsletter

Related Articles

Bermuda Post
Close
0:00
0:00
Home Secretary Suella Braverman tours potential migrant housing in Rwanda as asylum deal remains mired in legal challenges
Paris Rioting vs Macron anti democratic law
'Sexual Fantasy' Assignment At US School Outrages Parents
Credit Suisse to borrow $54 billion from Swiss central bank
Russian Hackers Preparing New Cyber Assault Against Ukraine
Jeremy Hunt insists his Budget will get young parents and over-50s back into work
If this was in Tehran, Moscow or Hong Kong
Nashville police officer, and a female driver shooting one another
TRUMP: "Standing before you today, I am the only candidate who can make this promise: I will prevent World War III."
Mexican President Claims Mexico is Safer than the U.S.
A brief banking situation report
Lady bites police officer and gets instantly reaction
We are witnessing widespread bank fails and the president just gave a 5 min speech then walked off camera.
Donald Trump's asked by Tucker Carlson question on if the U.S. should support regime change in Russia?.
'No relation to the American SVB': India's SVC Bank acts to calm depositors amid brand name confusion.
Good news: The U.S. government is now guaranteeing all deposits, held by, Silicon Valley Bank, and the funds are available as of today
Silicon Valley Bank exec was Lehman Brothers CFO
In a potential last-ditch effort, HSBC is considering a rescue deal to save Silicon Valley Bank UK from insolvency
BBC Director General, Tim Davie, has apologized, but not resigned, yet, following the disruption of sports programmes over the weekend
Elon Musk Is Planning To Build A Town In Texas For His Employees
The Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse effect is spreading around the world, affecting startup companies across the globe
City officials in Berlin announced on Thursday that all swimmers at public pools will soon be allowed to swim topless
Fitness scam
Market Chaos as USDC Loses Peg to USD after $3.3 Billion Reserves Held by Silicon Valley Bank Closed.
A primitive judge in Australia sparked outrage when he told a breastfeeding woman to leave his courtroom for being “a distraction"
Barcelona is feeling the heat as they face corruption charges over payments to former vice-president of Spain's referees' committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira
Senator Tom Cotton: If the Mexican Government Won’t Stop Cartels from Killing Americans, Then U.S. Government Should
Banking regulators close SVB, the largest bank failure since the financial crisis
The unelected UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, an immigrant himself, defends new controversial crackdown on illegal migration
Old clip of Bill Gates saying Ukraine is a big, fat, corrupt sinkhole is going viral
Man’s penis amputated by mistake after he’s wrongly diagnosed with a tumour
In a major snub to Downing Street's Silicon Valley dreams, UK chip giant Arm has dealt a serious blow to the government's economic strategy by opting for a US listing
How do stolen goods end up on Amazon, eBay and Facebook Marketplace?
It's the question on everyone's lips: could a four-day workweek be the future of employment?
Is Gold the Ultimate Safe Haven Asset in Times of Uncertainty?
Spain officials quit over trains that were too wide for tunnels...
Don Lemon, a CNN anchor, has provided a list of five areas that he believes the black community needs to address.
Hello. Here is our news digest from London.
Corruption and Influence Buying Uncovered in International Mainstream Media: Investigation Reveals Growing Disinformation Mercenaries
Givenchy Store in New York Robbed of $50,000 in Merchandise
European MP Clare Daly condemns US attack on Nord Stream
Former U.S. President Carter will spend his remaining time at home and receive hospice care instead of medication
Tucker Carlson called Trump a 'demonic force'
US Joins 15 NATO Nations in Largest Space Data Collection Initiative in History
White House: No ETs over the United States
U.S. Jet Shoots Down Flying Object Over Canada
Being a Tiktoker might be expensive…
SpaceX, the private space exploration company, made a significant breakthrough in their mission to reach space.
China's top tech firms, including Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, NetEase, and JD.com, are developing their own versions of Open AI's AI-powered chatbot, ChatGPT
This shocking picture, showing how terrible is the results of the earthquake in Turkey
×