Photo: Credhos with the Central Union of Workers (CUT), the Oil Industry Workers Union (USO) and allies at the mobilization of “social, labor, political, and grassroots organizations” in Barrancabermeja on October 14, 2026.
The Central Union of Workers (CUT) has stated that it and “the National Unitary Command of Labor Unions, along with pensioners’ confederations, FECODE, and various social, youth, and student organizations—among others—have called for a major National Strike and mobilizations against the tax reform and other government measures that negatively affect workers and the general population.”
Their statement concludes: “We call upon our local branches, unions, and affiliated federations to coordinate with other sectors—including social organizations, trade groups, student bodies, Indigenous communities, alternative and progressive political movements, and other segments of society—to collectively drive the National Strike and nationwide mobilizations, including the occupation of major cities.”
The Credhos poster for the “Day of National Mobilization” highlights: “No to the tax reform; no to fracking; memory cannot be erased; national sovereignty; for the right to social protest; for labor dignity”.
PBI-Canada will be following via social media the activities on Thursday November 19, in particular any deployments of the Esmad riot police, reports of violations against the freedom of peaceful assembly, and the use of Canadian-made helicopters and armoured vehicles against the mobilization.
During the national strike of November 2019, Webinfomil.com reported that the Colombian National Police would “deploy its entire fleet of Bell 407 Halcón surveillance helicopters in the main cities of the country, where the most important concentrations are expected to occur.” In its 2013-14 annual report, the Canadian Commercial Corporation described the sale of these helicopters to Colombia as a “success story”. The helicopters were manufactured by Bell Helicopter Textron Canada Ltd. in Montreal.
In June 2023, the Canadian Commercial Corporation also announced a contract to supply the Colombian Army with 55 Light Armoured Vehicles. At that time, it noted the contract “includes strict end-use provisions that govern how the Colombian National Army have agreed to operate the Canadian-made light armoured vehicles.”
Accompaniment
The first Peace Brigades International team arrived in Bogota in October 1994 and by January 1995 PBI had established a presence in Barrancabermeja in the Magdalena Medio region after an invitation by CREDHOS, the Regional Corporation for the Defence of Human Rights. Iván Madero Vergel joined the CREDHOS Board of Directors in 1993 but had to live in exile in Spain beginning in January 2001 as right-wing paramilitary forces entered Barrancabermeja. He returned to Colombia in 2010 and became the president of CREDHOS. PBI-Canada welcomed him to Canada for an advocacy tour in November 2019. We visited with the CREDHOS team in Barrancabermeja, Puerto Wilches, Bajo Simacota and the San Silvestre wetland in July 2022.
Further reading
–Credhos and CSPP raise concerns about the right to protest in Colombia with the implementation of Decree 1525 (PBI-Canada, October 15, 2026)
–As communities prepare to oppose extractive projects, Canada reaffirms the ‘strengthening’ of the mining-energy sector in Colombia (PBI-Canada, October 21, 2026)
–The Mobile Anti-Riot Squads (ESMAD), the police unit implicated in multiple killings, returns in Colombia (PBI-Canada, October 18, 2026).
