At least 2 killed, 12 injured in Colombia's farmer protests

At least two people have been killed and 12 more injured in farmers' protests in northeastern Colombia near the border with Venezuela, official sources confirmed Sunday. The farmers from Catatumbo zone, in the northeastern region of Norte de Santader, set up highway blockades and plundered official institutions on Saturday, demanding the government to declare the zone as peasant reservation and to suspend the eradication of coca plants and poppy. According to Rodolfo Palomino, Citizen Security director of the Colombian National Police, "There are two people killed. One of them was from the neighboring municipality of Convencion." Palomino said the two died after a clash occurred near Tibu airport, where six other civilians and six police officers were also injured. "Civilians were injured while manipulating explosive devices, such as Molotov cocktails and other elements they are using during the clashes against Esmad (anti-riot police)," said Palomino. On Friday, President Juan Manuel Santos noted that the protests held by thousands of farmers in northeastern Colombia have been infiltrated by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group. But "Ivan Marquez", chief of FARC's delegation in the peace talks, has asked the government to end "police brutality" against the coca and poppy farmers. The farmers also ask the government to stop foreign companies from exploiting the region's carbon and gold, which has been rejected.