This decision, communicated through a ruling on protection, is valid until a consultation process with the Taganga indigenous community is carried out, which must also be immediate.

A Colombian judge has ordered Ecopetrol and Petrobras to "immediately" suspend natural gas exploration and exploitation activities at the Uchuva-2 well in the Tayrona Block in the Colombian Caribbean, which began drilling at the end of June.

This decision, communicated through a ruling on protection, is valid until a consultation process with the Taganga indigenous community is carried out, which must also be immediate.

This consultation must be carried out in accordance with international and constitutional standards, guaranteeing the effective participation of the Cabildo Indígena de Taganga community in all stages of the process.

According to the judge, "it seems that there is a disconnect in the process of protecting ethnic communities." Thus, he explained that there was no sincere effort by the defendants to respect and protect the cultural and social rights of the affected communities.

"It is crucial that government entities implement measures that go beyond formal compliance and seek to ensure a real positive impact on the lives of indigenous communities," the ruling states.

In addition, the judge has ordered the National Environmental Licensing Authority, in coordination with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, to carry out a new environmental and sociocultural impact study that specifically includes the effects of the project on the Indigenous Council of Taganga and its relationship with the maritime environment, within a period of no more than four months.