A military plane, a police contingent and a flag: Three incidents raise tensions between Colombia and Peru

Santa Rosa de Loreto woke up Monday to a Colombian tricolor flag flying from a bamboo pole on Chinería Island, on the northeastern tip of Peru. Locals reported that Colombian civilians had arrived in the area aboard speedboats and secretly placed it there, taking advantage of the first rays of the morning sun. This is the latest incident in a string of events that have heightened tensions between two countries that had gone decades without a conflict, but whose diplomatic relations have been reduced to chargés d’affaires since 2023.

As the hours passed, speculation swirled about who was responsible for an act that the political class has described as provocative. On Tuesday, the mystery was revealed through a post on the X social network. Daniel Quintero, former mayor of Medellín, who is close to Colombian President Gustavo Petro and a presidential aspirant, published a short video in which he is seen raising the tricolor flag. “There is no way I will let the Amazon River be lost to Peru. They’ve already stolen enough from us with Panama and the San Andrés Sea with Nicaragua,” he says in the video.

“We cannot mourn like children what we could not defend as men,” Quintero adds, indicating that, if elected president, “Colombia will defend itself with all its soul.” As if that were not enough, he published a photo of himself with the flag in the middle of the island, with a message that added fuel to the fire: “Homeland or death.” Since the beginning of last week, Petro has denied Peruvian sovereignty over the Santa Rosa de Loreto district, located a few meters from the triple border between Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.

The Peruvian Foreign Ministry issued a statement emphasizing that “these types of acts do not contribute to the historic harmonious and peaceful coexistence” between the two countries and, furthermore, “distract cooperation efforts to address urgent challenges that negatively affect border populations.” For his part, former mayor of Santa Rosa de Loreto, Iván Noguera, told a local radio station that he has contacted Colombian legislators to declare Daniel Quintero persona non grata. “They intend to start a war to stay in power. That way, they won’t be able to call elections,” Noguera said, referring to Petro.

Last Thursday, while Petro was commemorating the Battle of Boyacá at the Leticia border crossing and a group of Peruvian government ministers were conducting civic activities in the Santa Rosa de Loreto district, a Colombian Armed Forces aircraft flew over Peruvian airspace without permission. Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the incident, calling it a “serious violation of territorial sovereignty” and demanding the “broadest guarantees” to ensure a similar situation does not occur again.

On Saturday, just two days later, Colombian police officers attempted to enter the Santa Rosa district without authorization. A contingent of the Peruvian navy blocked their entry without any need for violence. After Petro addressed the issue in social media posts, Peruvian President Dina Boluarte has only spoken once, from Japan, where she is on a tour of Asia. She simply stated that there are no pending issues to address and that Santa Rosa belongs to Peru.

For international relations expert Oscar Vidarte, “Petro’s irresponsibility is destroying a bilateral relationship that was already in bad shape.” “The plane’s overflight that violated our airspace and the raising of the Colombian flag in Peruvian territory are merely a reflection of a government that disrespects our sovereignty.”

Meanwhile, the Peruvian Congress’ Foreign Relations Committee has summoned Foreign Minister Elmer Schialer to respond next Monday to the territorial conflict that has sparked controversy on the continent. In recent hours, a preventive and intense patrol has been ordered in Santa Rosa de Loreto by the Peruvian Armed Forces and the navy. The order is clear: they want no more surprises.

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