Colombian protests threaten output

Demonstrations against proposed tax reform have spread across the country, with an impact on oil and gas

Colombia’s ailing economy—not helped by falling oil production and Covid-19—has mobilised deadly protests against a proposed government tax hike and raised concerns the country could descend into further violence and unrest. It is far cry from the 2016 peace accord that ended a 50-year armed conflict between the government and revolutionary paramilitary group Farc, and promised to instil lasting change in the country. “Initially, the protest was in response to the tax reform proposal presented by President Ivan Duque,” says Jose Zapata, partner at law firm Holland & Knight. “This initial mobilisation resulted in the withdrawal of the reform. But protests continue to reject rising poverty