Informal miners in northern Colombia have ended more than a month of sometimes-violent protests, agreeing to talks with the government to try and improve labor conditions and formalize their operations, the government said on Thursday.
The protests, which began in early March, have included roadblocks which at one point were affecting hundreds of thousands of residents in two provinces, causing shortages of fuel, food and medicine.
The government has accused major crime gang the Clan del Golfo of inciting violence at the demonstrations and of deadly attacks on security forces, leading President Gustavo Petro to call off a ceasefire with the group.
