Bogota – Colombia has authorized state petroleum company Ecopetrol to explore for oil on Indian land in the northeastern part of the country, a move opposed by tribal leaders, the government said over the weekend.
In 1997, a Colombian court blocked Occidental Petroleum Corp. (OXY.N: Quote, Profile , Research) from exploring in the area, which borders the provinces of Boyaca, Arauca and Norte de Santander.
Local U’was Indians call oil “the blood of mother earth.” In the past, they have threatened mass suicide over exploration in the Sirili and Catleya blocks.
Colombia, Latin America’s sixth-biggest crude oil producer, is in a race against time to increase output or risk becoming a net oil importer five years from now.
Earlier this month, Congress approved the sale of up to 20 percent of Ecopetrol.
