The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reported an incident that occurred on Sunday, April 12, on the Putumayo River, in front of the Peruvian town of El Estrecho, on the border with Colombia, when two Peruvian Navy units were attacked by a cargo vessel from the neighboring country.
In a statement, the government agency said the two naval units repelled the attack, in which one Navy member was injured. He is in stable condition.
It added that two crew members of the Colombian vessel were detained, while the boat continued its course toward its national riverbank.
The ministry indicated that the incident took place on Sunday at 9:00 p.m. in the Putumayo River border area, within the framework of a scheduled patrol operation aimed at safeguarding the electoral process.
"Two speedboats of the Peruvian Navy made contact with a Colombian cargo vessel, which was requested to stop and identify itself, in accordance with the provisions of the Security Handbook for Military and Police Border Units of the Republics of Peru and Colombia (updated in April 2025), and the agreements of the Peru–Colombia Border Binational Commission (Combifron)," the statement indicated.
The Peruvian ministry noted that the control operation responded to a reinforced patrol program in that sector of the Putumayo River, scheduled since April 10, deployed to prevent potential violent actions against polling places in Peruvian territory.
"The Colombian vessel refused the control action and opened fire on the two Peruvian Navy units, which repelled the attack. As a result, a Peruvian naval serviceman was injured by rifle ammunition (likely 7.62 mm caliber). The serviceman is in stable condition. Two crew members were detained. The Colombian vessel continued its course toward its country's riverbank," the statement said.
As a result of the attack, both Navy speedboats were hit by gunfire, leaving multiple perforations in their hulls, it added.
Two Colombian nationals detained
The statement said that, according to available information, a citizen of Colombia injured in said incident later crossed the border by his own means to receive medical care in the Peruvian town of El Estrecho, after which he was evacuated by a Colombian Republic aircraft to continue his recovery.
"Regarding the two Colombian citizens detained, the Provincial Mixed Prosecutor’s Office in Putumayo has reported that they remain in its custody, in accordance with Peruvian law and with full observance of the principle of presumption of innocence and due process guarantees, including timely access to consular assistance from the Consulate General of Colombia in Iquitos," it indicated.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Government of Peru reaffirms its willingness to continue coordinating and cooperating with Colombian authorities, with the aim of strengthening bilateral border control and integration mechanisms in the Putumayo River area.
It added that, following recent engagements between the Foreign Affairs ministers of both countries, a renewed commitment to hold the VIII Meeting of the High-Level Mechanism on Security and Judicial Cooperation (MAN) next May in Bogota is reaffirmed to continue strengthening bilateral matters of interest on security and defense, particularly in the border area.
(END) NDP/HTC/CVC/MVB