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Colombia The Leticia Conflict
During the early 1930s, the navy still lacked the
ability to
defend Colombia's coastal waters from external attack, but
the
preceding decades of domestic warfare had enabled the
small force
to build a substantial riverine fleet. These vessels
proved
important in helping Colombia hold its territory during a
1932 war
with Peru. The conflict, which centered on control over
the
Colombian harbor town of Leticia on the Amazon, had its
roots in a
boundary dispute dating from the colonial era
(see
fig. 1). In 1829
the first bilateral treaty pertaining to the disputed land
drew the
boundary according the old colonial demarcation, based on
the
principle of uti possidetis (possession at end of
war). The
treaty, however, failed to specify with geographic
precision the
location of the colonial boundary. A second agreement,
proposed in
1930, was considered favorable to Colombian interests but
was never
acknowledged by Peru.
Four subsequent treaties between Colombia and
Peru--signed in
1906, 1909, 1911, and 1922--also dealt with boundary
claims and
charges of Peruvian penetration into southern Colombia's
Putumayo
region. The 1906 treaty affirmed both countries'
willingness to
withdraw from the area while ownership of the disputed
territory
was settled by arbitration. Colombia revoked the treaty
during the
following year, however, and troops from both countries
moved back
into the region. The 1909 treaty attempted to end the
continuing
fighting among the settlers in the region as well as
between the
settlers and the region's Indian population. Although both
countries agreed to work toward an arbitrated settlement,
the issue
was never submitted for arbitration.
In 1911 Peruvian troops attacked the Colombian garrison
at the
river town of Puerto Córdoba, giving rise to the July
treaty in
which both countries agreed to limit the number of troops
in the
area. The 1922 treaty recognized the legitimacy of
Colombia's
boundary on the Amazon River and provided for free
navigation of
the river by both countries. Because of continuing
objections to
the treaty's terms, however, Peru did not ratify the
treaty until
1928. Upon Peru's ratification of the pact, it was widely
believed
that the Putumayo dispute had at last been resolved. Two
years
later, Colombia took possession of its territory in the
region.
On September 1, 1932, over 300 armed Peruvian civilians
seized
the town of Leticia in a demonstration against the 1922
treaty. In
response, the Colombian government announced plans to send
a force
of 1,500 soldiers to repel the invaders. Upon learning of
Colombia's intent, the Peruvian government--which had
earlier
criticized the invaders' action--moved to support its
nationals.
The first skirmishes took place in early 1933, as the
Colombian
river fleet made its way up the Amazon to the site of the
invasion.
After months of diplomatic wrangling over the selection of
a
mutually acceptable forum for the peaceful resolution of
the
dispute, Colombia and Peru accepted mediation by the
League of
Nations. A provisional peace agreement, signed in May
1933,
provided for the league to assume control of the disputed
territory
while bilateral negotiations proceeded.
In June 1934, following the signing in May of yet
another
bilateral treaty, Leticia was returned to Colombia. Under
the terms
of the May pact, Peruvian concessions included a formal
apology for
the 1932 invasion and a reaffirmation of Peru's acceptance
of the
1922 agreement. The treaty also provided for
demilitarization of
the area around Leticia, free navigation on the Amazon and
Río
Putumayo, and a pledge of nonaggression. As a gesture of
mutual
goodwill in continuing bilateral cooperation, the
settlement also
provided for future negotiations on trade and tariff
issues,
riverine transport, population settlements in the region,
and the
joint policing of the common border. In September 1935,
the
instruments of ratification were exchanged.
Following the dispute's resolution, national attention
was
again directed to the strengthening of Colombia's military
forces.
Despite the role played by the riverine fleet, the
invasion of
Leticia exposed the military's overall lack of
preparedness. During
the mid-1930s, the legislature approved higher budget
allocations
for the armed forces. Recruitment efforts intensified. By
the end
of the decade, however, military spending again had
declined.
Comparable levels of military expenditures as a percentage
of the
national budget were not again achieved until 1949, when
defense
allocations represented approximately 17 percent of
central
government expenditures.
Data as of December 1988
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