Two people – a policeman and a civilian – were killed during clashes in Kakete on Thursday, while 79 police officers and nine oil well workers were taken hostage by members of rural communities, an independent human rights group said.

According to Colombian police, the incident took place in a rural area in the municipality of San Vicente del Cagua, where protesters stormed an Emerald Energy oil well and set it on fire.

“It is sad that in the midst of these demonstrations, a policeman and a citizen were killed, while many policemen were captured and others were injured,” the head of the people’s ombudsman, Carlos Camargo, said in a statement, stressing that he had offered the authorities to mediate a settlement crisis.

Farming and indigenous communities have already blocked access to the oil well, demanding that Emerald Energy, a subsidiary of the Chinese state conglomerate Sinochem, take over the restoration of the road network in the area.

According to sources close to the Colombian police, two of those killed yesterday were wounded by bullets. According to the same sources, dissidents from the former FARC rebel group opposed to the 2016 peace deal are active in the region and may be involved in the incidents.

Protests near oil facilities or mines are commonplace in Colombia, where local communities are forcing companies to take over the construction of infrastructure, mainly roads and schools.

A spokesperson for Emerald Energy was unavailable when Reuters requested comment on the incidents.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered the echelons of the ministries of defense and internal affairs, as well as army forces, to go to the region to resolve the crisis and end the episodes of violence, he said via Twitter.

Source: RES-IPE