June 2, 2022

 We regret the recent ruling of the Administrative Court of Santander that revokes the decision that protected the right to prior consultation of the Afro-Colombian Corporation of Puerto Wilches – Afrowilches and suspended the fracking pilots.

As demonstrated in the process, Afrowilches is a grassroots Afro organization recognized since 2014 by the Ministry of Interior, is a member of the Departmental Consultative Commission of Black, Afro-Colombian, Raizal and Palenquero Communities of Santander, and has been subject to prior consultation in the past by the CAS and the Government of Santander.

We will request the revision of the Court’s decision by the Honorable Constitutional Court, considering that it ignores the precedent of prior consultation and violates the rights of the Afro-Colombian communities of Puerto Wilches; we will also continue legal actions, advocacy and mobilization to ban fracking in the country.

We call on the candidates Gustavo Petro and Rodolfo Hernandez, in case they win the presidential elections on June 19, to commit themselves without double talk to suspend the fracking pilots as one of their first demonstrations of their commitment to the water of Santander and Colombia, the environment and future generations in the current context of climate crisis.