Why did a remote Amazonian port trigger a war between Colombia and Peru?
In 1932, a group of Peruvian civilians seized the town of Leticia, sparking an armed conflict over Amazonian territory. What began as a local grievance over a 1922 boundary treaty quickly escalated into a national crisis, mobilizing navies, air forces, and a surge of patriotic fervor across both nations.
The conflict, often called the Leticia War, was rooted in the 1922 Salomón–Lozano Treaty, which granted Colombia access to the Amazon River by transferring the Leticia district. Many Peruvians felt this arrangement was unjust, leading to the formation of the Patriotic Junta of Loreto in August 1932. On September 1, 1932, a small group of civilians and soldiers seized the port, forcing Colombian authorities to flee. This 'Leticia Incident' ignited intense nationalism in Colombia, where the Senate approved 10 million dollars to fund a military response.
Colombia faced significant logistical hurdles, lacking roads in the Amazon and a modern navy. To compensate, the government repurposed commercial aircraft from SCADTA—the precursor to Avianca—and acquired British destroyers. Despite this, President Enrique Olaya Herrera initially favored diplomacy over direct assault. Military operations were marked by friction between commanders, with General Efraín Rojas and General Alfredo Vásquez Cobo often at odds over strategy. Combat occurred primarily along the Putumayo and Cotuhé Rivers, involving gunboat skirmishes, aerial bombings, and infantry engagements at sites like Güepí and Puerto Arturo.
The war reached a turning point following the assassination of Peruvian President Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro on April 30, 1933. His successor, Óscar Benavides, sought to de-escalate, meeting with Colombian leaders to arrange for the transfer of Leticia to a League of Nations commission. The hostilities officially ended on May 24, 1933. The subsequent 1934 Rio de Janeiro Protocol reaffirmed the original 1922 boundary, with Peru expressing regret for the conflict. The war remains a notable example of how local territorial disputes in the early 20th century could rapidly spiral into international military confrontations.
Source: Colombia–Peru War
