First modification:
The International Court of Justice ruled that the South American country is interfering in Nicaraguan waters without right and ordered it to “cease activities” that include preventing Nicaraguan license vessels from taking advantage of its exclusive economic zone both in fisheries and in scientific research.
This Thursday, April 21, the International Court of Justice of the United Nations resolved a long legal dispute initiated by Nicaragua accusing Colombia of meddling in its exclusive maritime territory and violating its ability to exploit and investigate it.
The court in The Hague ruled that Colombia violated Nicaraguan rights in the Caribbean Sea, where it hinders Nicaraguan ships so that they can take advantage of fishing, carry out marine research and also by granting permits to Colombian and other countries’ vessels.
In a majority ruling of 9 to 6 favorable to Managua, the ICJ called on Bogotá to “immediately cease the conduct”, as President Jean Donoghue read, after “violating rights and jurisdictions” of Nicaragua.
The case was raised in 2013 by the Central Americans, alleging that the Colombians were invading their sovereignty in the Caribbean, waters long claimed by both countries and where a UNESCO-listed biosphere reserve lies that is inhabited by dozens of species in Danger of extinction.
For years, Colombia has advocated the conservation of that place and tried to promulgate measures in this foreign territory, reasons that angered Nicaragua.
The world court had issued Managua fishing rights in much of the western Caribbean, but that did not stop the Colombian Navy from patrolling those waters, a major route for drug smuggling into Central America.
In previous hearings, the Nicaraguan side had accused Colombian Navy boats of harassing local fishing vessels and protecting missions arriving from South American shores.
Duque announces that he will not allow Nicaragua to “limit the rights of Colombia”
In response, Bogotá stated that the patrols had the objectives of combating drug trafficking routes and protecting the Seaflower Marine Reserve, a space created by them and which is on the UNESCO list of reserves.
This Thursday, the Colombian president said from the island of San Andrés and accompanied by the vice president and chancellor Marta Lucía Ramírez, that his government “will continue in the superior task of preventing Nicaragua from limiting or trying to limit Colombia’s rights.”
As President, I assumed the responsibility of defending the interests of the Nation and its sovereignty in the face of ongoing cases in @ICJ_ICJ and I maintained the constitutional principle, ratified by @CConstitucionalthat the limits are only modified with a treaty ratified by Congress. pic.twitter.com/VUQYJZFVU9
– Ivan Duke 🇨🇴 (@IvanDuque) April 21, 2022
This case has its origins in an ICJ ruling issued in 2012 where, unlike this time, it involved territorial changes in both countries. On that occasion, Colombia maintained sovereignty over the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina and 12 nautical miles around it, but lost 75,000 square kilometers to Nicaragua.
The claim of the Caribbean people was for strictly legal and geographical reasons, alleging that the islands are only 110 kilometers from their coasts; while they are 720 kilometers from Colombia.
With AP, Reuters and EFE
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