Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced that commemorative events for August 7 will be held in the city of Leticia, in the Colombian Amazon, amid border tensions with Peru.
The date is a moment of national pride, as it annually commemorates the Battle of Boyacá—an 1819 event that, following Colombia’s victory, definitively secured the country’s independence from Spain.
Colombia to commemorate August 7 in Leticia
President Gustavo Petro announced that this year’s August 7 commemoration—marking the Battle of Boyacá and Colombia’s definitive independence in 1819—will take place in Leticia, the capital of the Amazonas department. The decision responds to what the president considers a new border dispute with Peru’s government in the Amazon River region.
In a message posted on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Petro explained that his decision stems from recent actions by the Peruvian government, which he believes violate the Rio de Janeiro Protocol. This treaty, signed by both countries in 1934, resolved territorial disputes and defined border limits in that part of the continent.
“‘The commemoration of the Battle of Boyacá, which marks national independence, is moving to Leticia because once again, Peru’s government has occupied territory belonging to Colombia and violated the Rio de Janeiro Protocol that ended [the dispute],'” Petro wrote in his X post. He clarified that his decision is unrelated to recent road blockades in Colombia.
The president added, “‘The Rio de Janeiro Treaty established that the border is the deepest part of the Amazon River, and that any disagreement should be resolved between both parties.'” Regarding this, Petro stated, “‘Islands have appeared north of the current deepest line, and Peru’s government has just appropriated them by law, placing the seat of a municipal district on land that—according to the treaty—should belong to Colombia.'”
According to the Colombian president, this “unilateral action” not only violates the aforementioned treaty but also endangers Leticia’s “commercial viability” as an Amazonian port.
No se traslada a Leticia por los bloqueos
La conmemoración de la Batalla de Boyacá, es la conmemoración de la independencia nacional, se traslada a Leticia, porque otra vez, el gobierno del Perú ha copado un territorio que es de Colombia y ha violado el Protocolo de Rio de… https://t.co/Jh9ZTT6Wk0
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) August 5, 2025
Colombia will rely on diplomacy to resolve conflicts
Despite everything, the President of Colombia stated that his government will focus on diplomacy to resolve conflicts with the neighboring country of Peru. “The government will first and foremost use diplomatic steps to defend national sovereignty,” Gustavo Petro asserted.
On May 24, 1934, Colombia and Peru formally ended the armed conflict that had pitted them against each other between 1932 and 1933 through the signing of the Treaty of Rio de Janeiro. This agreement not only restored peace but also defined the definitive border limits between both countries in the Amazon region.
The conflict had erupted following the Peruvian occupation of Leticia, a city located in the Amazon Trapezium that had been awarded to Colombia in 1922 by the Salomón-Lozano Treaty. The Colombian reaction was immediate, and for over a year both nations maintained military skirmishes, until mediation by the League of Nations succeeded in halting the escalation.
The Treaty of Rio de Janeiro ratified what was established in 1922, recognizing Colombian sovereignty over Leticia and the Amazon Trapezium, and established a binational commission to demarcate the border in the jungle. With this agreement, Colombia gained direct access to the Amazon River, while Peru consolidated its eastern border.
The treaty allowed for the normalization of relations between Bogotá and Lima, paving the way for decades of cooperation and stability in the region. Nevertheless, the current geopolitical context is once again focusing attention on this remote Amazon region, pending Peru’s response regarding the conflict that, ninety years later, is flaring up with Colombia in this area of the Amazon River.
Related: Colombia and Peru Clash Over Amazon’s Santa Rosa Island.