A series of protests that began on March 11 and turned violent after Atico Minng called in hundreds of police and paramilitary personnel to quell the protests. The protesters, largely campesino farmers, were opposed to a reported attempt to revive a consultation process by Atico that would put the stalled mining project back on the table.

On 28 October, the parish of Palo Quemado was militarised in order to conclude the consultation process. At least eight trucks full of military personnel arrived at the site.