Time Warp War
1-31-1995
^By ANDREW SELSKY=
^Associated Press Writer=
MACAS, Ecuador (AP) _ Soldiers from two South American countries fight over a stretch of rugged, jungle-covered land inhabited only by the soldiers themselves and an isolated Indian tribe.
It sounds like a throwback to an earlier time. And, in a way, it is.
This month's fight between Ecuador and Peru over several hundred square miles of land most of the world has never heard of was a continuation of a bitter dispute that began more than a half century ago.
It sparked antagonism among the peoples of two nations who are otherwise friendly. In Quito, Ecuador's capital nestled in the high Andes, pro-government demonstrations lasted into the night Monday, with people thronging the streets, shouting "Ecuador, Ecuador!" and tooting on whistles in the chill air. Ecuadorean media now frequently denounce the "expansionist, aggressive" Peruvians.
In Peru, people cheered and waved flags as troops headed to the border.
Ecuador announced early today that a cease-fire had been reached. There was no immediate confirmation from Peru.
Since their school days, Ecuadoreans have been taught that the region in question in the humid Amazon River basin is their birthright, which they were forced to relinquish under a 1942 treaty after losing a war with Peru.
A river in the disputed region would provide Ecuador with access to the Amazon River. Ecuadoreans see the Amazon as a trade outlet to Brazil and the Atlantic Ocean, through which treasures from the disputed region can be shipped out and supplies brought in.
Peruvians, equally possessive, believe Ecuador never really controlled the region, which is believed to contain gold, uranium and oil, and are convinced it has legitimately been theirs for decades.
The dispute stems from the 1942 treaty that delineated a new border. But the accord left some 50 miles unmarked. The area is so isolated _ home to only the Achuar Indian tribe and the few soldiers normally stationed there _ that even pilots' maps have just a blank space marking the region of green jungle, silvery streams and mist-covered mountains. "Boundary in dispute," the maps tell aviators.
While the world has moved in the five decades since the treaty signing in Rio De Janeiro, Ecuador and Peru have remained in a time warp with their unresolved border squabble.
Most of the Ecuadorean soldiers fighting Peruvian troops were not even born when the 1942 Rio Protocol was signed. Yet, after repeated reminders in high school history classes, it is as if they themselves lost the land to Peru.
"We have the right to that territory," insisted a 25-year-old air force helicopter pilot, the butt of a Baretta 9mm pistol protruding from his flight suit as he waited at Macas Airport near the combat zone to rescue any downed Ecuadorean fighter pilots.
"Since high school we've been told that Ecuador is an Amazonian country. Now Peru is trying to deny us that," he said.
Ecuadorean President Sixto Duran-Ballen stoked those feelings Monday when he told a cheering crowd: "We have the right to the Amazon, and we're not going to retreat!"
Some Peruvians and Ecuadoreans are tired of the repeated clashes over the border region and believe politicians on both sides order their troops to fight periodically to divert attention from domestic troubles.
"Someone should define the border, with both countries agreeing to it, and get this problem done with finally," said an Ecuadorean soldier as he flew over the region, gazing down at the deceptively peaceful jungle.
^By ANDREW SELSKY=
^Associated Press Writer=
MACAS, Ecuador (AP) _ Soldiers from two South American countries fight over a stretch of rugged, jungle-covered land inhabited only by the soldiers themselves and an isolated Indian tribe.
It sounds like a throwback to an earlier time. And, in a way, it is.
This month's fight between Ecuador and Peru over several hundred square miles of land most of the world has never heard of was a continuation of a bitter dispute that began more than a half century ago.
It sparked antagonism among the peoples of two nations who are otherwise friendly. In Quito, Ecuador's capital nestled in the high Andes, pro-government demonstrations lasted into the night Monday, with people thronging the streets, shouting "Ecuador, Ecuador!" and tooting on whistles in the chill air. Ecuadorean media now frequently denounce the "expansionist, aggressive" Peruvians.
In Peru, people cheered and waved flags as troops headed to the border.
Ecuador announced early today that a cease-fire had been reached. There was no immediate confirmation from Peru.
Since their school days, Ecuadoreans have been taught that the region in question in the humid Amazon River basin is their birthright, which they were forced to relinquish under a 1942 treaty after losing a war with Peru.
A river in the disputed region would provide Ecuador with access to the Amazon River. Ecuadoreans see the Amazon as a trade outlet to Brazil and the Atlantic Ocean, through which treasures from the disputed region can be shipped out and supplies brought in.
Peruvians, equally possessive, believe Ecuador never really controlled the region, which is believed to contain gold, uranium and oil, and are convinced it has legitimately been theirs for decades.
The dispute stems from the 1942 treaty that delineated a new border. But the accord left some 50 miles unmarked. The area is so isolated _ home to only the Achuar Indian tribe and the few soldiers normally stationed there _ that even pilots' maps have just a blank space marking the region of green jungle, silvery streams and mist-covered mountains. "Boundary in dispute," the maps tell aviators.
While the world has moved in the five decades since the treaty signing in Rio De Janeiro, Ecuador and Peru have remained in a time warp with their unresolved border squabble.
Most of the Ecuadorean soldiers fighting Peruvian troops were not even born when the 1942 Rio Protocol was signed. Yet, after repeated reminders in high school history classes, it is as if they themselves lost the land to Peru.
"We have the right to that territory," insisted a 25-year-old air force helicopter pilot, the butt of a Baretta 9mm pistol protruding from his flight suit as he waited at Macas Airport near the combat zone to rescue any downed Ecuadorean fighter pilots.
"Since high school we've been told that Ecuador is an Amazonian country. Now Peru is trying to deny us that," he said.
Ecuadorean President Sixto Duran-Ballen stoked those feelings Monday when he told a cheering crowd: "We have the right to the Amazon, and we're not going to retreat!"
Some Peruvians and Ecuadoreans are tired of the repeated clashes over the border region and believe politicians on both sides order their troops to fight periodically to divert attention from domestic troubles.
"Someone should define the border, with both countries agreeing to it, and get this problem done with finally," said an Ecuadorean soldier as he flew over the region, gazing down at the deceptively peaceful jungle.
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