Colombia and Peru in tension over sovereignty of Amazon island
Petro accuses Peru of seizing an Amazonian island and warns that it could affect Colombian access to the Amazon River.
Photo of Vlad Hilitanu in Unsplash
A new diplomatic crisis has erupted between Colombia and Peru over the Amazon region, specifically the island of Santa Rosa, whose sovereignty is disputed between the two countries.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused the Peruvian government of unilaterally annexing the island by making it a district in June, which he said violates the 1934 Rio de Janeiro Protocol. Petro claimed the island emerged after the treaties and was therefore not properly assigned to Peru, and that its annexation could compromise the Colombian city of Leticia's access to the Amazon River.
In response, the Peruvian government reaffirmed its sovereignty over the island, noting that it is legally included within its borders under treaties of 1922 and 1929. It called Petro's accusations a political provocation and defended the legitimacy of his actions.
As a symbolic gesture, Petro moved the commemoration of the independence anniversary from Boyacá to Leticia, highlighting the political and symbolic dimension of the conflict.
Colombia has proposed establishing a binational boundary commission to formally resolve the dispute through dialogue, while Peru maintains that there is no pending dispute and that sovereignty is not under discussion.
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