Colombia: 2 dead, more than 80 held hostage as indigenous communities invade oil field

Two individuals were killed and more than 80 people were taken hostage in Colombia during violent protests in the province of Caqueta on Thursday, the country’s government announced.

The office of human rights ombudsman Carlos Camargo confirmed that a police officer and a civilian were killed from gunshot wounds as a result of the protests. Additionally, 79 police officers and nine oilfield workers were taken hostage, authorities said. 

“It's lamentable that, amid these protests, a policeman and civilian were killed, while several policemen were detained and others were injured,” Camargo said.

The violence began in the municipality of San Vicente del Caguan after members of rural and indigenous communities blocked access to an oil field demanding that the oil company Emerald Energy fix their roads, the national police said. 

Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered defense and interior officials to the region to address the violence and called for the attorney general’s office to investigate the killings. 

"We have a popular movement... which want to destroy this government and subsume Colombia in war... that has ended up murdering a young policeman," he said.

"I expect from the perpetrators the unilateral liberation of government officials before a new escalation of violence is caused," Petro added.