Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has appointed Orlando Cabrales Segovia as the new head of the national hydrocarbons agency (ANH) following the resignation of Armando Zamora. Zamora resigned after eight years at the helm, followed rapidly by the resignation of mining and energy minister Carlos Rodado Noriega. Cabrales, the son of local refiner Reficar president Orlando Cabrales Martínez, is a lawyer with 16 years of experience at UK-based energy major BP. The booming oil sector has recently faltered with the resurgence of violence directed toward both industry infrastructure and personnel. Worker protests have also halted operations at some of the country’s largest production sites. A total of USD 150 million was lost as a result of recent protests in Colombia’s Rubiales field at the Caño Limón Coveñas pipeline.