Overview

• On August 7, President Gustavo Petro warned that Colombia will pursue international litigation unless a bilateral commission reaches an agreement on Santa Rosa’s sovereignty.
• Colombia invokes the 1934 Rio de Janeiro Treaty’s thalweg principle, arguing that the island lies north of the Amazon’s deepest channel and requires a mutual allocation process.
• Peru has lodged formal diplomatic protests, insisted that no Colombian territory has been touched and reaffirmed its refusal to cede control of Santa Rosa.
• Prime Minister Eduardo Arana led a ministerial delegation to Santa Rosa to provide state services and reinforce Peru’s administrative presence on the contested island.
• Experts warn that continued Amazon River level declines and shifting channels have created new islands beyond earlier treaties, threatening to spur further border disputes.