Blockade lifted at Colombia coal mine Cerrejon

BOGOTA (Reuters) – Protesters in Colombia’s northern La Guajira province have lifted a four-day blockade of a rail line and the entrance to an export terminal used by coal miner Cerrejon, the company said on Friday.

The blockade, which was affecting operations, was led by residents from three communities in Media Luna, the company had previously said.

“It has been lifted,” a Cerrejon spokesperson told Reuters, adding normal operations will now resume.

Blockades of roads, the rail line and other Cerrejon facilities are common and regularly result in losses for the company.

Wayuu indigenous communities have had a long-running dispute with Cerrejon, which is owned by Anglo-Swiss commodities giant Glencore, over water use and pollution, dust, noise and health issues.

Cerrejon is under a court order to comply with environmental and health requirements, including by reaching agreements with Wayuu communities.

The company has said it has signed 302 agreements, including 11 with communities in Media Luna.

In 2020 a U.N. Special Rapporteur said the mine should suspend some operations on health and environmental concerns, a call which Cerrejon rejected.

(Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)