Colombia faced significant disruptions on Monday due to a nationwide transport strike following the government’s announcement of a diesel price hike. The strike, which involved widespread blockades, severely impacted four major departments – Santander, Nariño, Meta, and Cundinamarca – as well as the capital, Bogotá.
The strike, which began last Friday but escalated on Monday, is motivated by freight transporters voicing their opposition to the sudden price increase for ACPM (Automotive Diesel Oil). The protest resulted in severe traffic disruptions and the paralysis of critical transport routes. By Monday night, Transport Minister María Constanza García reported 56 incidents nationwide, with 11 permanent protests, and 35 involving mostly intermittent blockades.
One of the most affected routes, La Vía al Llano, which connects Bogotá with the departmental capital of Meta, Villavicencio, was closed from Monday afternoon. In Santander, transport routes from Bucaramanga to Barrancabermeja, Bogotá, and the Caribbean coast were also heavily impacted. Key roads such as Bucaramanga-San Gil, Socorro-Bogotá, Bucaramanga-Cúcuta, and the Lizama sector in Barrancabermeja experienced significant disruptions.
The blockades caused a complete halt in operations at the Bucaramanga transport terminal, leaving hundreds of travelers stranded. In response, Santander Governor Juvenal Díaz established a unified command post (PMU) to manage the crisis. In the southwest, particularly along the Pan-American Highway between Pasto and Ipiales in Nariño, blockades were also reported.
The widespread disruptions were not without tragedy. On Monday, a Venezuelan woman traveling from Norte de Santander to Bucaramanga died after suffering severe health complications while her bus was immobilized by a blockade in the mountainous La Laguna region. The woman, who was traveling with her 12-year-old child, reportedly experienced chest pain. Despite the establishment of a humanitarian corridor, she did not survive.
In the department of Cundinamarca, the blockade of the main highway between Chía and Cajicá, where intermunicipal bus drivers also joined the protest, led to significant congestion and vehicles being trapped for over four hours. In the department of Boyacá, traffic ground to a halt as truckers blocked the main Tunja-Bogotá highway.
In response to the indefinite strike – Paro Camionero – Transport Minister María Constanza García called for an emergency meeting with sector associations, including those representing small transporters. The minister reiterated the government’s position, stating that the diesel price increase was a necessary measure. “We have expressed the need for this initial increase,” García said, emphasizing that the government had already explained the reasons behind the price hike. Many of the trucks were decked in the Colombian tricolor flag and brandished signs saying: “FUERA PETRO!” – Out Petro!
The ongoing strike has sparked concerns over the restriction of mobility and the broader impact on essential food distribution. Interior Minister Juan Fernando Cristo took to social media to express his disapproval of the blockades. “This should not happen. The truckers’ strike in Bogotá and at the national level causes difficulties in mobility, delays in medical services, and affects children traveling on school routes. The protest is legitimate when it respects everyone’s rights,” said Cristo.
On Tuesday morning, commuters in Bogotá were affected as several roads in the south of the capital were blocked by the transporters, which also resulted in the closure of several TransMilenio stations.
