Colombian environmental activists deluged by threats

Environmental activists Fabian Urquijo and Jhordan Peinado, who hail from Colombia’s Santander region, received an eerie warning in February.

They were named in a pamphlet shared by the Gulf Clan paramilitary group, warning that they would be killed if they did not give up their activism. More than 20 other local activists were also named in the pamphlet, which was distributed throughout their neighbourhood.

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“It was a difficult moment,” Peinado told Al Jazeera. “Given what we do, we’re aware that these threats happen – especially in a country where leading social and environmental struggles create many problems.”

The pair have since fled their hometown of Barrancabermeja, fearing for their lives.

And this is by no means an isolated case: Many Colombian activists are increasingly worried that they could be targeted for their work, as recent data from Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) and Corporacion Compromiso, a local NGO, reveal a sharp increase in threats and violence towards environmental defenders.

Protest against fracking
Demonstrators gather in Puerto Wilches to protest fracking [Inigo Alexander/Al Jazeera]

The stakes for activists in Santander are especially high. Over the past 18 months, the JEP recorded more than four dozen threats against activists across the region.

Corporacion Compromiso reported even higher numbers, citing 68 threats towards environmental defenders in Santander in the opening three months of 2022 alone – a significant increase from 2021, when it documented a total of 70 incidents in the whole year.

Colombia is known as the world’s deadliest country for environmental defenders, and Santander’s Magdalena Medio region, located in the country’s north, has become a hub for many threats. The area comprises the heart of Colombia’s petroleum industry, and the local town of Puerto Wilches has been selected for the country’s first fracking project, meeting strong resistance from locals and environmental groups. This opposition, in turn, has drawn threats from local armed groups.

Yuvelis Natalia Morales, a 21-year-old environmental activist, was reportedly forced to flee Puerto Wilches and seek protection in France after intruders came to her home last year and put a gun to her head.

Carlos Andres Santiago, an anti-fracking activist, told Al Jazeera: “Their message is basically that whoever opposes fracking will get a bullet, because they are the law here.”

A police officer monitors protest
Over the past 18 months, a local NGO has recorded 68 threats against environmental defenders in Colombia’s Santander region [Inigo Alexander/Al Jazeera]

Armed groups vying for control

Earlier this month, hundreds of locals gathered in Puerto Wilches to protest against the proposed fracking project. Activists who took part in the demonstration told Al Jazeera that after their march, assailants threw one protester off his motorcycle and warned he would be killed if he continued opposing the project.

ALJAZEERA.COM

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