The Paquisha War or Fake Paquisha War () was a military clash that took place between January and February 1981 between
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
and
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
over the control of three watchposts. While Peru felt that the matter was already decided in the
Ecuadorian–Peruvian War
The Ecuadorian–Peruvian War, known locally as the War of '41 ( es, link=no, Guerra del 41), was a South American border war fought between 5–31 July 1941. It was the first of three military conflicts between Ecuador and Peru during the 20th ...
of 1941, Ecuador claimed that the
Rio de Janeiro Protocol was not executable because a 78 km section of the border was not precisely defined.
In the aftermath of the incident, both sides increased their military presence along the
Cordillera del Cóndor
The Cordillera del Cóndor (Condor mountain range) is a mountain range in the eastern Andes that is shared by and part of the international border between Ecuador and Peru.
The range extends approximately 150 km north to south and its m ...
area and Cenepa Valley, starting an escalating spiral of tension and provocation that finally resulted in another military confrontation in 1995, the
Cenepa War
The Cenepa War (26 January – 28 February 1995), also known as the Alto Cenepa War, was a brief and localized military conflict between Ecuador and Peru, fought over control of an area in Peruvian territory (i.e. in the eastern side of the Cord ...
.
While the name ''Paquisha War'' is widely used by the international community and Ecuador, in Spanish this incident is also known as the Falso Paquisha War (''Conflicto del Falso Paquisha'') in Peru and, occasionally, as the Paquisha Incident or the Upper Comaina Conflict (''conflicto del Alto Comaina'').
Historical background
''For details on the history of the border dispute between Ecuador and Peru, please see
History of the Ecuadorian–Peruvian territorial dispute
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
.''
The Paquisha or "False Paquisha" Incident
The conflict began on January 22, 1981, the day on which the
Peruvian government
, border = Central
, image =
, caption = Logo of the Government of Peru
, date = 1990
, state = Peru
, address = Government Palace
, leader_title = President of PeruWhile there is ...
denounced the attack on one of its aircraft that was carrying out a supply mission destined for border surveillance posts on the
Comaina River. Peruvian President
Fernando Belaúnde Terry
Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. It is equivalent to the G ...
ordered the inspection of the river until its source located on the eastern side of the
Condor range (in Spanish, ''Cordillera del Cóndor''). In this inspection, three Ecuadorian detachments were found with facilities in the territory considered to be Peru by the Peruvian Government according to the previous treaties. These detachments had captured the old observation posts Nos. 22, 3 and 4.
The Ecuadorian position indicated that these detachments corresponded to the "Paquisha" base established in Ecuadorian territory. But, after measuring the coordinates, it was found that they did not correspond to the aforementioned Paquisha accepted in the
Rio de Janeiro Protocol but, as Peruvian President Fernando Belaúnde described it, to a "False Paquisha", a name he gave it to be able to easily distinguish it from the first Paquisha that was legal under the Rio Protocol of 1942.
The establishment of these posts was considered by the Peruvian Government as a violation of a ''
status quo
is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, political, religious or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the current state of social structure and/or values. W ...
'' line arranged between the military leaders of both countries in the course of several meetings at the end of the 1970s. During these agreements both sides would have agreed not to establish any new military posts in the disputed areas, which would have meant for Ecuador not to establish any military presence to the east of the ridgeline of the Condor Range.
The Ecuadorian possession of these posts was denounced by Peruvian representatives at the foreign ministers' meeting of the
OAS
OAS or Oas may refer to:
Chemistry
* O-Acetylserine, amino-acid involved in cysteine synthesis
Computers
* Open-Architecture-System, the main user interface of Wersi musical keyboards
* OpenAPI Specification (originally Swagger Specification) ...
, on February 2, 1981. During this meeting, the Peruvian Foreign Minister,
Javier Arias Stella, called the three Ecuadorian military outposts ''falsos'' ("fakes"), despite Ecuadorian sovereignty.
Ecuadorians indicated that these detachments corresponded to the "Paquisha" base established in Ecuadorian territory. But, after measuring the coordinates, it was found that they did not correspond to the aforementioned Paquisha accepted in the
Protocol of Rio de Janeiro but, as the Peruvian president
Fernando Belaúnde
Fernando Sergio Marcelo Marcos Belaúnde Terry (October 7, 1912 – June 4, 2002) was a Peruvian politician who twice served as President of Peru (1963–1968 and 1980–1985). Deposed by a military coup in 1968, he was re-elected i ...
described it, to a "False Paquisha", a name he gave to distinguish it easily from the first Paquisha that was legal according to the Rio protocol of 1942.
The Ecuadorian Foreign Minister,
Alfonso Barrera Valderde, responded to this allegation stating that when Ecuador responded to the attacks on January 22, it always specified that the attacks were being made against the ''destacamentos'' (military outposts) of Paquisha, Mayaicu, and Machinaza, not against the similarly named Ecuadorian towns.
The
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
prepared a contingent to recover the post, formed mainly by
Mi-8TV transport helicopters of the Army Aviation and Air Group No. 3, formed by
FAP A-37,
Su-22
The Sukhoi Su-17 (''izdeliye'' S-32) is a variable-sweep wing fighter-bomber developed for the Soviet military. Its NATO reporting name is "Fitter". Developed from the Sukhoi Su-7, the Su-17 was the first variable-sweep wing aircraft to enter ...
and
Mirage 5
The Dassault Mirage 5 is a French supersonic attack aircraft designed by Dassault Aviation during the 1960s and manufactured in France and a number of other countries. It was derived from Dassault's popular Mirage III fighter and spawned sever ...
aircraft to support to the Jungle Infantry.
The
Fuerza Aérea del Peru (FAP) flew many sorties with
A-37B,
Mirage 5P and
Su-22
The Sukhoi Su-17 (''izdeliye'' S-32) is a variable-sweep wing fighter-bomber developed for the Soviet military. Its NATO reporting name is "Fitter". Developed from the Sukhoi Su-7, the Su-17 was the first variable-sweep wing aircraft to enter ...
to support these operations. The FAE flew 179 combat missions with
A-37B and
Mirage F1
The Dassault Mirage F1 is a French fighter and attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was developed as a successor to the popular Mirage III family.
During the 1960s, Dassault commenced development of what would ...
aircraft to counter the FAP attacks. On January 28, 1981, there was a dogfight between 2 A-37Bs of the FAE and FAP.
On January 30, 1981,
Peruvian troops recover the "PV-22" (False Paquisha), the next day they recover the "PV-3", and on February 1, 1981, they recover the "PV-4" (New ) or "false Mayaico".
By that day, the conflict was apparently over but then Peruvians discovered that more troops from Ecuador had settled in 3 other military posts and 3 points on the northeastern border of the Cordillera del Cóndor and were the "PV El Mirador" posts, "PV-4-A" and "PV-4-B" (Old).
On February 19, 1981, Peruvians recovered the "PV Jiménez Banda 2" (False Machinaza) and the next day, on February 20, 1981, the "PV-4-A" and "PV-4-B" (Old ).
On February 21, 1981, the
Aviation of the Peruvian Army destroyed the last military installations of the
Army of Ecuador
The Ecuadorian Army ( es, ''Ejército Ecuatoriano'', italic=unset) is the land component of the Ecuadorian Armed Forces. Its 160,500 soldiers are deployed in relation to its military doctrine. The contemporary Ecuadorian Army incorporates many jun ...
that were still in the Peruvian territory.
The Peruvian operation was a success, the outpost of ''Falso Paquisha'', that was occupied by the Ecuadorians, was taken on February 5, 1981, by Peruvian troops. The conflict, which occurred in a then non-demarcated area of the common border between Ecuador and Peru, ceased with the Ecuadorians being expelled from the slopes and driven back to the summit of the ''Cordillera del Cóndor''.
The
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States (OAS; es, Organización de los Estados Americanos, pt, Organização dos Estados Americanos, french: Organisation des États américains; ''OEA'') is an international organization that was founded on 30 April ...
(OAS), had to intervene through the Sorrosa-Du Bois Act, setting the location coordinates allowed for border troops, ratifying the condition of the mentioned mountain range as a natural boundary between the two countries.
According to a Peruvian journalistic information, which shows a photo that shows the capture of a powerful
machine gun system with 4 guns of .50 (12.7 mm) caliber in “False Paquisha”, the installation of this type of armament represented the symbol of the gravity of the premeditated Ecuadorian invasion in Peruvian territory, through the Cordillera del Cóndor. According to Peruvian sources, only a detachment of high strategic value justifies the installation of a weapon of these characteristics. Known versions after the eviction of the Ecuadorian troops, between January 28 and February 1, 1981, confirm that this frustrated occupation was planned since 1977, when the first clashes between border patrols began to occur. Another second machine gun of the same characteristics would be captured by Peruvian soldiers in the "False Machinaza" Post (named by the Peruvians "Jiménez Banda 2") which was another of the positions invaded by Ecuadorians.
As a result, the Peruvian and Ecuadorian governments, with assistance of each one of the Guarantors, agreed to separate their forces. This "
gentleman's agreement
A gentlemen's agreement, or gentleman's agreement, is an informal and legally non-binding agreement between two or more parties. It is typically oral, but it may be written or simply understood as part of an unspoken agreement by convention or th ...
" remained in effect throughout the 1980s, with various measures taken to codify conduct of patrols encountering one another in the disputed area.
The meeting concluded with a resolution that announced a cease fire in the conflict zone, and noted that both countries had accepted a commission of representatives from the
guarantor
In finance, a surety , surety bond or guaranty involves a promise by one party to assume responsibility for the debt obligation of a borrower if that borrower defaults. Usually, a surety bond or surety is a promise by a surety or guarantor to pa ...
countries to safeguard the observance of the cease fire and establish conditions for peace between Peru and Ecuador.
Context of the "gentlemen's agreement."
To avoid the disaster of 1941 in regard to loss of civilian lives and a possible invasion to the south of Ecuador, the High Command sent twenty-five thousand men under the command of General
Richelieu Levoyer with the task of defending possible invasion pathways.
Until then the Ecuadorian Defense Plan envisaged a logistics operations taking about eight days to set up defensive positions. Levoyer proposed a new plan which placed all personnel, weapons, supplies, etc., in twenty-four hours in the front and ready to fulfill the mission of defense.
The Peruvian armed forces were surprised by the rapid deployment of Ecuadorian forces, so, thinking that Levoyer and his men might invade the north of Peru, they organized anti-tank defense lines, trenches, and other defenses.
Fortunately, events did not lead to general war. The widespread confrontation was avoided probably because of the direct talks between top military Commanders of the two countries, and the military Delegates of Chile, Argentina, Brazil and USA. The talks took place in the border line near the Pacific Ocean, in the towns of Huaquillas (Ecuador, Province of El Oro) and Aguas Verdes (Peru, Department of Tumbes). The result was the Sorrosa-Du Bois Act.
Aftermath
Border violence remained constant until the resolution of the
Ecuadorian–Peruvian territorial dispute
The Ecuadorian–Peruvian territorial dispute was a territorial dispute between Ecuador and Peru, which, until 1928, also included Colombia.Ecuador and Colombia signed the Muñoz Vernaza-Suárez Treaty in 1916, ending their dispute, while Peru an ...
in 1998 through the
Brasilia Presidential Act
The Brasilia Presidential Act ( es, Acta Presidencial de Brasilia, pt, Ato Presidencial de Brasília), also known as the Fujimori–Mahuad Treaty ( es, Tratado Fujimori–Mahuad), is an international treaty signed in Brasilia by the then Presiden ...
. Violence occurred most of the time around January, which coincides with the month that the
Rio Protocol
The Protocol of Peace, Friendship, and Boundaries between Peru and Ecuador, or Rio Protocol for short, was an international agreement signed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on January 29, 1942, by the foreign ministers of Peru and Ecuador, with t ...
was signed. Despite several proposals to complete demarcation of the border, no agreement was possible at that time.
Several military bases were built up and down the Cordillera by both countries, and the region was militarized. The Peruvian bases were serviced by helicopter, while on the Ecuadorian side, gravel roads were constructed to several military border posts.
According to the USIP, after this war, Ecuador's Foreign Ministry conducted a national opinion survey that reportedly confirmed the popularity of nullification of the Rio Protocol and Ecuador's right to sovereign access to the
Amazon river
The Amazon River (, ; es, Río Amazonas, pt, Rio Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river system in the world in comparison to the Nile.
The headwaters of t ...
. Thus, in 1983, the Ecuadorian congress reaffirmed its position on the nullity of the
Rio Protocol
The Protocol of Peace, Friendship, and Boundaries between Peru and Ecuador, or Rio Protocol for short, was an international agreement signed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on January 29, 1942, by the foreign ministers of Peru and Ecuador, with t ...
.
In the book ''"Paquisha, all the truth"'' by the Ecuadorian writer Claudio Mena, said author maintains that the Ecuadorian president
Jaime Roldós Aguilera
Jaime Roldós Aguilera (5 November 1940 – 24 May 1981) was 33rd President of Ecuador from 10 August 1979 until his death on 24 May 1981. In his short tenure, he became known for his firm stance on human rights.
Early life and career
Roldós ...
had planned to inaugurate on February 12 those surveillance posts that Ecuador had installed in Peruvian territory to show the world that this territory was "Ecuadorian soil"
However, in 1998, Ecuador recognized the authenticity and validity of the
Rio Protocol
The Protocol of Peace, Friendship, and Boundaries between Peru and Ecuador, or Rio Protocol for short, was an international agreement signed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on January 29, 1942, by the foreign ministers of Peru and Ecuador, with t ...
and renounced its thesis of inapplicability of the Rio de Janeiro Protocol of 1942 and its aspiration to be a riparian country of the Amazon River as well as its claim of sovereignty over it. The Marañón River through the
Act of Brasilia, closing the border, as indicated in the Protocol of Rio de Janeiro, and declaring the end of all differences between the two nations
References
Further reading
*
Interview with Peruvian President Fernando Belaunder Terry, Falso Paquisha Incident' Caretas
*
Detailed information about the military actions in the Paquisha Incident'
*
'
{{Authority control
Ecuadorian–Peruvian wars
Conflicts in 1981
1981 in Ecuador
History of Ecuador
1981 in Peru
History of Peru
Territorial disputes of Peru
Territorial disputes of Ecuador
Ecuador–Peru border
January 1981 events in South America
February 1981 events in South America