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Glencore halts Cerrejón railway operations after explosives attack

The Sept. 22 attack near Uribia in northern La Guajira marks the sixth strike on Cerrejón infrastructure this year, and could disrupt coal movement if repairs take longer.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Mining

Glencore has halted railway operations tied to its Cerrejón coal mine in northern Colombia after explosives damaged its transport network, the company said. The incident affected a train and occurred on the evening of Sept. 22 near Uribia, in the department of La Guajira.

Glencore said no injuries were reported and that mine activities continue as normal. Reuters reported the company also said the National Army deployed troops on Sept. 23 to secure the area and oversee infrastructure inspection.

The railway network runs about 150 kilometers between the mine site and Puerto Bolívar, where production is exported to international markets. Glencore said it recorded six attacks on its infrastructure so far this year.

The attack follows more than 80 blockades that have been linked to protests over basic services rather than disputes with the company itself. Glencore noted that prior disruptions had fully shut operations, underscoring how dependent the mine is on the transport corridor, and said a damage assessment would follow once the area is safe to enter.

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