The U’Wa People and Occidental Oil

From Chevron’s drilling and killing in Nigeria, we now move to Occidental Petroleum in Colombia, and to the Los Angeles-based oil giant’s plans to drill in the ancestral land of the U’wa people. Just a few years ago, in April of 1995, the U’wa made headlines around the world when they pledged to commit mass suicide if Occidental proceeded with its oil project in the Samore block, which is located on their traditional territories. Legal battles followed, and the U’wa took their struggle to the public, to Occidental’s shareholders and to the Organization of American States.


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