Indigenous people and farmers from the south of Colombia mobilized again on Thursday in protest of dam being built on the Magdalena river.
The protests are the second this year; in February hundreds of protesters clashed with police when expressing their opposition to the dam that, once in operation, will flood areas in six municipalities in the Huila department.
According to several media sources, hundreds to thousands of protesters blocked the road connecting Huila and the southern Caqueta department.
The protesters claim that Emgesa, the company building the dam, did not fulfill its promises to locals regarding compensation for their displacement and is ignoring due process in order to rush the project.
The plant is expected to begin operation in 2014 and could produce enough energy to supply 4% of Colombia’s demand.
