Rebels blast Colombia's main oil pipeline

Colombia's second largest guerrilla group blasted a main oil pipeline on Friday, causing oil spill in the northeastern region, local media reported. The rebel National Liberation Army (ELN) attacked the Cano Limon-Covenas pipeline in the rural area of Cubara, a small town bordering Venezuela, the Caracol Radio network reported. The Colombian government has had to ban water consumption in relevant areas as the spill is likely to threaten several watercourses, especially the Arauca river. The report said state-run oil company Ecopetrol has already activated a contingency plan to repair the damage of the 780 km-pipeline, jointly owned by Ecopetrol and U.S. company Occidental Petroleum and providing over 70,000 barrels of oil on a daily basis. Both the ELN and the biggest guerilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), have frequently attacked oil infrastructure in their fight against the government. They claim the pipeline does not benefit Colombia but has been exploited by foreign companies of the country's natural resources.