Bogotá .- A Colombian citizen, 82 years old, died after being shot by a river patrol unit of the Navy of Peru, which was on the Putumayo River, on the border between the two countries, reported this Monday the Minister of Defense of Colombia, Pedro Sánchez Suárez.
The events occurred on Sunday in front of the Peruvian town of San Antonio del Estrecho when the division reported the presence of two vessels, a boat and a rowboat, and “in the development of this procedure shots were fired,” explained the head of the Defense portfolio on X.
“As a result of these events, Colombian citizen José Miguel Gutiérrez Baquero, 82 years of age, owner of the cargo vessel, unfortunately lost his life,” said the minister of Colombia, and added that one of his sons was injured and is being treated in El Estrecho.
Two crew members of the vessel are detained by the Peruvian authorities, the information added.
“From very early on, communication has been maintained with the Peruvian Navy,” assured Sánchez Suárez, who detailed that in conversations with his Peruvian counterpart they agreed to “prioritize” medical attention for the injured citizen, as well as provide “mutual cooperation” to facilitate the actions of the judicial authorities.
Diplomatic channels for death of Colombian after shots from the Peruvian Navy
The ministers also agreed to request the activation of diplomatic channels to form a binational commission, made up of judicial and military authorities, “in order to clarify with total rigor what happened and determine the responsibilities that may be applicable.”
Following communications with Peru, Sánchez Suárez insisted that the executive’s goal is to “maintain cooperation between sister nations.”
El ministro de Defensa de Colombia, general de la Fuerza Aeroespacial Pedro Sánchez Suárez. EFE/ Carlos Ortega
The relations between both governments were already strained in August of last year when a group of unknown individuals raised a Colombian flag in the Peruvian municipality of Santa Rosa de Loreto, an island located in the middle of the Amazon River claimed by the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro.
This event generated the rejection of the Peruvian authorities, considering the act as a provocation allegedly encouraged by the Colombian president, who accused Peru of having appropriated that territory.
Santa Rosa de Loreto is located opposite the Colombian city of Leticia and next to the Brazilian Tabatinga, and is part of the triple border that, together with Peru, these three countries form on the Amazon River.
