Once again, for the third time in less than two years, Colombia is saturated by protests sparked by President Ivan Duque’s proposed tax reforms which are aimed at stabilizing government finances. For at least four days protests raged across many of Colombia’s major cities with the most violent occurring in Santiago de Cali, the Andean country’s third-largest city. Protests are continuing, despite Duque announcing the withdrawal of the controversial tax bill and the resignation of Finance Minister Alberto Carrasquilla. This is further evidence of Colombia’s intensifying political turmoil and escalating security crisis which is impacting the country’s economically crucial petroleum industry that was responsible for 17% of fiscal revenue, a third of exports by value and 3% of gross domestic product during 2020. Violence and lawlessness across Latin America’s third-largest oil producer rose sharply after Duque ascended to Colombia’s top office in 2018 when he beat leftist presidential candidate […]