Caribbean & Central America - December 2012 (ISSN 1741-4458)

“A very difficult moment for the country”. This was the response by Colombia’s foreign minister, María Angela Holguín, to the 19 November ruling handed down by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague on the 122-year old maritime and territorial dispute between Nicaragua and Colombia. While confirming Colombia’s sovereignty over seven islets in Caribbean waters, the ruling, which orders Colombia to cede 75,000km² (or 40%) of its resources-rich maritime territory, has been widely considered a victory for the government of President Daniel Ortega. With bilateral ties having worsened in the build-up to the ICJ’s decision [RC-12-08], hopes that the ruling would put paid to what has been a long-running source of tension between the two countries have yet to materialise; President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia continues to reject the decision while a military order for the Colombian navy to remain in the waters newly-granted to Nicaragua suggests tensions could further escalate.

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