The National Liberation Army (ELN), which has traditionally been involved in such attacks, charged in a communique that "in our country, energy policy does not prioritize investment (in Colombia) but rather exploitation and consumption that sacrifices future generations."

For several years a security tax was imposed on oil producers in the region, which have also been targeted by guerrilla extortion and kidnappings.

Occidental Petroleum also contracted the security firm AirScan to aid the Colombian military in the defense of its operations.

The government of the United States increased military aid by $98 million, in 2003, to Colombia to assist in the effort to defend the pipeline.

In 1998, AirScan misidentified the village of Santo Domingo as a hostile guerrilla target, leading to a December 18 cluster bomb attack by the Colombian military which killed eighteen civilians, including nine children.