Many community leaders opposing mine expansion at El Cerrejon, or holding out for a better deal from the mining company, have been unjustly condemned and imprisoned, some accused of collaborating with Colombia?s left-wing guerrilla movements.

The huge Cerrejon opencast coal mine in the province of La Guajira in northern Colombia was opened in the late 1970s. It was 50% owned by the Colombian government and 50% owned by Intercor, a subsidiary of the US multinational Exxon. Intercor operated the mine. It is said that the guaranteed supply of cheap coal from Colombia supported the Thatcher Government in the destruction of the British coal mining industry. The tracks for the railway which takes the coal from the mine to the port of Puerto Bolivar were provided by British Steel.