Tensions Escalate in the Border Conflict Between Peru and Colombia
Peruvian police have detained two Colombian surveyors on a disputed island in the Amazon River, an act that Bogotá deemed illegal on Wednesday, reigniting the border dispute between the two countries.
The Peruvian public prosecutor’s office subsequently announced the initiation of an investigation against the surveyors for “violating national sovereignty.”
The two nations have long been embroiled in a disagreement over territorial delineation along the Amazon River, which frequently alters its course, creating new islands. According to the Peruvian police, the surveyors detained on Tuesday were equipped with satellite geo-referencing tools without the necessary permissions from Peru.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned their arrest as “illegal” on X, describing it as an “abduction.”
Peruvian prosecutor Rodolfo Sifuentes Vargas explained in a statement that their detention followed suspicions that they attempted to designate “a portion of national territory as belonging to Colombia.”
The Colombian Ministry of Transportation asserted that the surveyors were working for a consortium involved in expanding a wharf in Leticia, the capital of the Colombian Amazonas department.
This incident is part of a series of tensions that began last Thursday when President Petro questioned Peru’s sovereignty over Santa Rosa Island, located at the tripoint of Brazil, Colombia, and Peru. On the same day, a Colombian military aircraft flew over the islet.
On Monday, presidential candidate and former mayor of Medellín, Daniel Quintero, planted Colombia’s flag on the island before Peruvian authorities removed it.
In July, Peru officially established the Santa Rosa district and sent officials to the area. The island has a population of approximately 3,000 residents.
Diplomatic delegations from Peru and Colombia are scheduled to hold a binational technical meeting on September 11 and 12 in Lima to address border issues.
