BOGOTA, Oct. 15 - Reuters - Left-wing Guerrillas from the National Liberation Army ELN in Colombia have claimed responsibility for a strike on a pipeline used to transport crude to the country's most important refinery, located in the city of Barrancabermeja.
The attack resulted in an oil spill which affected surrounding vegetation and soil, the company said in a statement. A spokesperson said that a fire that had caused an explosion was later brought under control.
The ELN said: Our guerrilla forces conducted an act of sabotage on the La Cira Infantas pipeline used by Ecopetrol today, October 15 in the Bucaramanga region on the road between Barrancabermeja and Paquistan. The group also took responsibility for attacks against La Cira Infantas oil field in September which resulted in production at some of the wells being halted.
La Cira Infantas oil fields produce around 30,000 barrels of crude per day. ECOPOTENOL said production at any of the wells by Friday in the aftermath of the attack was not stopped, said a spokesman for Ecopetrol ECO.CN.
Ecopetrol, Colombia's largest company, owns 52% of the field, while the remaining 48% belongs to SierraCol Energy.
The ELN said it wanted to open a debate on the use of the country's resources, in particular oil. It said it would be willing to discuss halting its attacks against oil infrastructure in exchange for abolishing road tolls and adjusting fuel costs.
Attacks against oil pipelines and other infrastructure are common in Colombia, with 28 such incidents recorded in 2021 through September. Ecopetrol documented 51 oil infrastructure attacks in 2020.
Ecopetrol rejects the violent actions by third parties committed against the pipeline, the company said in a statement.
Peace talks between the ELN - which was founded in 1964 by radical Catholic priests - and Colombia's government were put on ice after a rebel bombing killed 22 police cadets in 2019.