Colombia: ELN attacks oil pipeline in Norte de Santander

Event

A bomb attack was carried out against the Caño Limón-Coveñas oil pipeline in a rural area of El Carmen municipality (Norte de Santander department), located near the Venezuelan border, on Monday, August 28. No casualties were reported but the explosion has forced Ecopetrol, Colombia’s main petroleum company, to temporarily shut down the pipeline. The National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group is suspected of being behind the bombing.

This was the 43rd attack carried out against the pipeline since the beginning of the year; the other attacks occurred in the departments of Norte de Santander, Arauca, Boyacá, and Cesar. Caño Limón-Coveñas is Colombia’s most important pipeline, with a daily transportation capacity of 210,000 barrels.

Context

The ELN - the country's last remaining rebel group following the demobilization of the FARC - continue to be highly active in various parts of the country despite ongoing peace talks between the group and the government, launched in February 2017. The group continues to carry out kidnappings and regular attacks against oil sector infrastructure as well as foreign companies, government targets, and road infrastructure. The ELN and the Colombian government are reportedly working to establish a bilateral ceasefire ahead of the upcoming visit by Pope Francis, scheduled for early September.

Meanwhile, paramilitary crime organizations (BACRIM) have replaced leftist guerrillas as the most serious armed threat in Colombia today. These groups are involved in a variety of illicit activities (drug-trafficking, smuggling, illegal mining, extortion) and have begun expanding into territories vacated by the FARC, leading to a rise in violence, including turf warfare and assassinations of local landowners and community leaders. The government has pledged to increase the presence of security forces in these areas, but the deployment has been slow.

Advice

Due to the presence of a number of armed groups - including organized crime groups, drug cartels, right-wing militias, local gangs, and the ELN - some Western governments advise against travel to various parts of the country, including much or all of Norte de Santander.