Arauca Citizens Protest against Oil Exploitation in Colombia

Arauca citizens protest against oil exploitation since 01/21/2013. Students, workers and local leaders had been doing so peacefully until the 12th of this month, when the government of Colombia ordered 1,200 members of the Mobile Anti-Disturbance Squadron (the ESMAD in Spanish) to suppress the community and clear the area where they were gathering, which is where the oil exploitation usually takes place.
The protest was originally due to the government’s and oil companies’ unwillingness to cooperate or establish a dialogue with the locals. The eviction of the protesters took place violently: Four people were arrested by the police after a savage beating, according to the reports given of the situation. The military forces were said to set fire to the surrounding pastures, destroying the school in which the protesters were settled and taking away their food supply.

Arauca Citizens and their Reason to Protest

The oil field operated by OXY and Ecopetrol which is located in Arauca is called Caño Limón. On top of that, an oil pipeline called Bicentenario, which will be used to transport the oil from Casanare and Arauca to the harbors in Colombia, is currently under construction.
Protesters argue that indiscriminate exploitation of non-renewable resources on the part of international companies has never benefited the local community nor helped satisfy their basic needs. Moreover, the community draws attention towards the destruction of the environment, brought about by the pollution of water resources, the drilling of the soil, deforestation, the creation of metal waste and the burning of residual oil.

Photo credit:Sémhur, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Colombia_Pipelines_map-fr.svg

The Demands of the Citizens

Locals protest to demand power over the natural resources, so that they can have a say over who uses them and how they do so. They state that the contract with the oil companies should favour them and that the constitutional bodies made up to supervise these entities should fulfill their obligations. Finally, the citizens demand that the oil companies pay back their social, ecological and economic debt towards those who have suffered the consequences of their exploitation.

After the events which took place this month, the government is said to have prohibited the local media entrance to Arauca by arguing it is not a safe place to be in. It is also important to note that people from that region are not allowed to leave by the only two major roads, and that commercial activity is completely paralyzed in the area.