Last week, the U.S.-based company Occidental Petroleum (OXY) announced at its shareholders' annual meeting the abandoning of one of its more controversial exploitation plans: the Siriri block.
The move also entails the return of the oil block to the Colombian government. Such a decision ends a 10-year long struggle by indigenous organizations for the territory, located in the Colombian Andes and claimed by the U’wa people as their traditional lands.
OXY, with its personal and financial links to former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, was originally granted exploitation rights in 1992. The company’s expectations were that the territory -- formerly known as the Samore block -- could hold up to 2.5 million barrels of crude oil. However, exploratory drilling undertaken a year ago revealed barely productive subsoil, a “dry” land, as the terminology has it.
The recent company decision -- while based primarily on economic reasons -- also stems from strong pressure exerted by the U’wa people, several indigenous and environmental organizations, and the subsequent public relations problems that were created for the company.
A wide array of activist measures ranging from lawsuits, shareholder resolutions, demonstrations, popular blockades, advocacy campaigns -- and ultimately, deaths -- helped secure the company's reversed decision. Clearly, all issues pertaining to oil in Colombia are related to military activity there.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia killed Terence Frietas, founder of the U’wa Defense Project, along with two other activists, in 1999. Also, in June 2000, three indigenous children died when Colombian riot police broke up a road blockade mounted by U’wa seeking to prevent OXI drilling in their lands. Equally effective was the U’wa's stated threat of suicide en masse: 5,000 people came forward to declare their willingness to die unless the oil company halted its drilling operation on their territory.
The U’wa now celebrate victory over OXY, having always been able to count on international public sympathy and support.
“This is the news we have been waiting for,” said U’wa spokesperson Ebaristo Tegria. “Sira, the God of the U’wa, has accompanied us here in Colombia, and our friends around the world who have supported us in this struggle. Now Sira is responding to us. This is the result of the work of the U‚wa and our friends around the world.”
However, activists sounded the note that other oil companies might still seek to explore Siriri. The Argentine-Spanish firm Repsol-YPF has recently been developing the Capachos oil block -- also located on traditional U’wa lands.
