:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/5BZIQEXYC67CJVGXSKABEOG76I.jpg "The ELN claimed responsibility for the attack on Ecopetrol in Barrancabermeja")
On the night of Monday March 6, an attack was reported against the La Cira Infantas oil field in Barrancabermeja (Santander), which belongs to ecopetrolwhere no one was affected, but there was severe environmental damage from the oil spill in the area, due to the loss of containment of the spilled fluids.
In a statement, the hydrocarbon company said “this was an attack on the infrastructure that transports crude from El Centro Township to the refinery in the oil town. and the water pipe in the aforementioned production area”.
Four days after the attack on the oil infrastructure, the National Liberation Army (ELN) assumed responsibility for the facts. This became known after the insurgent group shared a statement on Friday, March 10.
“It is ELN policy to defend the nation’s resources and we will continue this effort. Therefore, on March 6 this year, we carried out a sabotage action affecting the pipeline infrastructure owned by Ecopetrol with explosives,” the statement read.
Since 2021 the oil production field The Cira Infantes he was the object of eleven attacks; four in the same year, six in 2022 and the last one in March 2023.
But the illegal armed group went further and assured that while the national government talks about the energy transition “in the national territory, the multinationals and Ecopetrol continue to use the mining and energy resources of the nation”, underlined the ELN.
And at another point in the statement, he added:
“In 2022, due to the international context, a barrel of oil had an average price of 102 dollars, which represented for Ecopetrol a historic gain of 33.4 trillion pesos. Money that has not been reflected in the social investment and development of the regions where the oil wealth is exploited”.
In this sense, the ELN clarified that the attack on the oil pipeline ecopetrol It was carried out by decision of the “Special Commandos of the National Urban Warfare Front, Commander-in-Chief Camilo Torres Restrepo, of the National Liberation Army”.
Prior to the ELN statement, specifically on Tuesday, March 7, Magdalena police authorities pointed to a pseudonym Pigeona.k.a Wilmera.k.a Carrillo and pseudonyms Whore, belonging to the ELN, as the possible perpetrators of the act.
“These criminals, we are about to set an amount for the payment of rewards. They are already being prosecuted, they already have an arrest warrant and we are close to their capture,” confirmed Colonel Luis Alejandro Cubillos.
On the environmental effects which occurred due to the attack on the infrastructure of ecopetrolthe national authorities have assured that “the facts are being investigated on the spot and the emergency care brigade is awaiting the corresponding examinations from the authorities to begin the process of repairing the lines and cleaning the affected area”.
Before ending your communication, the ELN explained that in 2022, due to the international context, “a barrel of oil had an average price of 102 dollars, which for ecopetrol represented a historic gain of 33.4 trillion pesos. Money that has not been reflected in the social investment and development of the regions where the oil wealth is exploited”.
the refinery barrancabermeja It is the longest in Colombia, with an age of 100 years. Inaugurated on February 18, 1922, it currently produces 225,000 barrels per day, which represents 30% of the country’s oil capacity.