11:39 AM
Through videos that have circulated on social networks, images were released in which a large number of members of the Indigenous Guard of the municipality of San Vicente del Caguan are seen holding several police officers in the department of Caquetá.
The authorities confirmed the death of subintendent Ricardo Monroy, who had been injured in clashes with protesters.
Also read: “I ordered the acts of violence to stop”: Petro after the murder of a police officer in an indigenous protest in Caquetá
In the recordings, several members of the Losada-Guayabero Peasant Guard can be seen holding the National Police uniforms, in a sector known as Los Pozos, while the Ombudsman’s Office is present.
There is also a record of how they use their sticks to make an enclosure and thus prevent the police from leaving the place. “Hit him, one for the other…” can be heard between the shouts and the merriment.
It should be noted that Recently, in the Los Pozos sector, there have been demonstrations by peasants from the department of Guaviare and Caquetá, who are demanding the effects caused by the presence of the oil company Esmerald Energy, that operates in this area of the country.
“Tired of misery and poverty, the communities have decided to join this peaceful demonstration and not allow the mobility of any logistics of this oil company, as long as the president and a government delegation that seeks to give an outlet to the social and environmental problems that the territories have”, Michel Guevara, a peasant leader in San Vicente del Caguan.
After the death of the uniformed man and the retention of other agents, President Gustavo Petro took action on the matter and, through his Twitter account, reported that “At this moment, a commission from the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of the Interior and the Military Forces is leaving to attend to the situation of Pozos in San Vicente del Caguan. I have ordered the acts of violence to stop.”
Why are they protesting?
For 40 days, peasants and indigenous people from the Los Pozos area, in the rural area of San Vicente del Caguan, Caquetá, have been protesting against the Esmerald Energy oil company, which they are demanding to pave 42 kilometers of the road that connects to the sidewalk with the urban area. A situation that had also meant the retention of 53 tractor-trailers, only a couple of days ago they were allowed to leave.
Until In the early hours of this Thursday they decided to force their way into the company’s facilities, which they set on fire. Therefore, the public force had to be present in the area, at which time there were strong clashes between the community and members of the National Police.
Julián Perdomo, mayor of San Vicente del Caguan, explained to Caracol Radio that “the situation we are experiencing in Los Pozos is difficult, they have reported injuries and I think there are also deaths, that is why we are asking the National Government for urgent intervention in this area of the Caqueta,” he said.
The first reports from the authorities in the area indicate that damage to the physical plant of the oil company has been reported and there are several injuries, for which reason an ambulance service has been requested in the place.