Colombia: Oil pipeline attacked in Arauca department August 10 /update 1

Event

Colombia’s state-run oil company announced on Saturday, August 11, that pumping on the Caño Limón oil pipeline in Arauca department has been temporarily suspended following a low-intensity bombing. The attack took place near the Saravena municipality on Friday, August 10. Officials confirmed that the blast caused some spillage, but the oil did not affect the local water sources. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack as of August 10, but security sources believe the ELN (Ejército de Liberación Nacional) may be behind the bombing.

Context

ELN militants attacked a Colombian military position near Los Colonizadores Airport (RVE) in Saravena on August 4. The group has reportedly attacked the pipeline about 60 times in 2018. Previously, the pipeline had been shutdown for six months due to the repeated incidents before restarting operations on July 10. The ELN - one of the country's last remaining rebel groups following the demobilization of the FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) - is believed to have around 1500 fighters in Colombia.

Advice

Individuals in or planning travel to Colombia are advised to keep abreast of the situation. Due to the presence of a number of armed groups - including drug cartels, right-wing militias, local gangs, and the ELN guerrilla group in addition to ex-FARC dissidents - Western governments generally advise against travel to various regions of the country, most notably most border areas on the frontiers with Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, and Panama.