UN experts urge Ecopetrol to pay reparations over Colombian conflict

United Nations independent experts called on Wednesday for state-owned oil company Ecopetrol to provide reparations to victims of the Colombian armed conflict. UN News reported that the statement follows a landmark corporate accountability ruling by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, a transitional justice tribunal known as the JEP. [1]

The ruling relates to Macro-Case 08, which established the responsibility of several state agents and an officer of Ecopetrol. According to UN News, those individuals were implicated in serious human rights violations and war crimes linked to the long-running internal violence in the country. [1]

The long asymmetric conflict in Colombia began in May 1964 and involved government forces, far-left guerrillas, crime syndicates, and right-wing paramilitary groups. The Colombian National Centre for Historical Memory estimated that paramilitary groups caused 38.4 percent of civilian deaths between 1981 and 2012, while guerrillas were responsible for 16.8 percent and security forces for 10.1 percent. [2][3]

Ecopetrol is a major driver of the Colombian economy, generating significant royalties and state dividends while achieving daily production exceeding 750,000 barrels of oil equivalent in 2025. The UN experts welcomed the ruling as a crucial step toward establishing corporate accountability and securing redresses for victims of the conflict. [1][5]