Conflict hits South America. The 1941 Ecuador-Peruvian War.
The 1941 Ecuadorian-Peruvian war (Otherwise known as the War of 41), was one of the many conflicts between the two nations since their independence, but played a major part in both nations histories. Today, we will be telling the story of this largely forgotten conflict, and the history behind it.
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By the 20th century, Ecuador attempted to make peaceful adjustments to claims with it's eastern neighbors. An agreement between the nation and Colombia, granted the latter rights to the Putumayo river in exchange for recognizing the Ecuadorian rights to the rest of the Amazonian territory. A brief war erupted between Colombia and Peru, over Peru's claims to the Caquetá region, which ended with Peru signing the Salomon-Lozano Treaty on March 24, 1922. Ecuador protested this treaty, since Colombia gave away Ecuadorian claimed land to Peru that Ecuador had given to Colombia in the 1916 treaty, thus, Ecuador was surrounded to the east, by Peruvian territory.
By 1938 both Ecuador and Peru, were once again holding minor border skirmishes, and many anti-Pervuan protests were occurring in Ecuador, and thousands of troops were sent into the disputed territory of Zarumilla. Peru matched this, and started to build up it's military, sending troops into the disputed zone as well. Yet fighting wouldn't erupt until July 5th of 1941.
According to Peruvian accounts, some Ecuadorian troops from the garrison of Huaquillas, which then served as the status quo line in the extreme left of the Ecuadorian-Peruvian border, crossed into the Peruvian border post at Aguas Verdes, and opened fire on a Peruvian patrol. This led to wide-spread fighting all across the border. According to Ecuadorian Col. Luis A. Rodríguez, commander of the Ecuadorian forces defending the province, some Peruvian civilians, protected by policemen, were clearing a patch of land on the Ecuadorian side of the river. Upon seeing the patrol, the Peruvian policemen opened fire, killing one soldier. This was followed by the widespread exchange of fire between troops. The much larger and better equipped Peruvian force of 13,000 men quickly overwhelmed the 1,800 Ecuadorian covering forces, driving them back from the Zarumilla and invading the Ecuadorian province of El Oro. The Peruvian army had at its disposal a company of armor made up of Czech tanks, with artillery and air support. They had also established an air force paratroop detachment in the region and used it to great effect by seizing the port city of Puerto Bolívar, on July the 27th, marking the first time in the Americas that airborne troops were used in combat.
Ecuador promptly requested a cease-fire, which went into effect on July 31st. Yet, Ecuador still carried out guerrilla attacks on the Peruvian troops. Diplomatic talks between the two nations, finally led to the signing of the Protocolo de Río de Janeiro on 29 January 1942. With it being ratified by the congress of both nations on February the 26th. By the terms of the Protocol, Ecuador agreed to withdraw its long-standing claim for rights to direct land access to the Marañon and Amazon rivers; with Peru agreeing to withdraw military forces from Ecuadorian territory. An area of 200,000 km of in the Maynas region was awarded to Peru, which had been established to be the de facto possessor of the land since the end of the 19th century. The status quo line defined in the 1936 Lima Accord was used as the basis for the definitive border line; the previous border recognized current possessions, but not sovereignty. Relative to the 1936 line, Ecuador ceded 18,000 km of territory to Peru, while Peru ceded 5,000 km of territory to Ecuador. This protocol was meant to finally settle this dispute between the two nations. But as is usual with politics, it wasn't long-lasting. Two more wars would be fought over the boundary for the rest of the century. And it wouldn't be until 1995, with the signing of the Itamaraty Peace Declaration that one of the longest lasting boundary disputes in the Americas, was finally put to rest.