CAB 109/07. C(04)135, Cabinet memo by J. Flores, 1 Apr. 1828

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The following is a memorandum written by Governor of Distrito del Sur (Ecuador), Juan José Flores on 1st April 1828, updating the Central Government in Bogota about the country’s current situation with Peru regarding the contested border. In it, Flores outlines the recent history between Gran Colombia and Peru, and suggests a course of action to be adopted by the Republic of Colombia. 

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THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA

TOP SECRET

    The circulation of this letter has been strictly limited.

    It is issued for the personal use of………………………………

                               Copy No. ……

C. (04) 135

1st APRIL, 1828.

CABINET

CONTESTED BORDER WITH PERU

Memorandum by the

gobernador del Distrito del Sur

The Central Government will wish to have a summary of the present situation with Peru regarding the border, and the measures which are being taken to meet it.

Background to recent events

2.    Before the battles for the liberation of South America from the Spanish Crown were over, Simón Bolívar established the uti possidetis juris principle as a basis for the territorial demarcation of the new nation-states. In essence, this means that the borders of the new nation-states should retain that of the old Spanish administration borders. As Ecuador had been administered by both the Viceroyalty of New Grenada and Peru, the territory lies in a legal ‘grey zone’. 

3.    Peru has territorial claims on a significant portion of Ecuador, including the Jaén de Bracamoros and Guayaquil provinces. The Jaén de Bracamoros province is part of the Azuay department and is covered in thick jungle. In contrast, the Guayaquil province of the Guayaquil department is crucial to the Ecuadorian functioning of the economy, by allowing Quito and the Andean highlands to have access to a seaport for the export of manufactured goods.

4.    Peru’s rhetoric and military posture have made the issue of vital importance to the state. It is crucial that the Central Government pay particular attention to developments in those areas, in order to deliberate and execute a proportionate policy to the issue. 

Chronology

5.    On 6 July 1822, Joaquín Mosquera (Minister Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Colombia) signed a friendship treaty with Bernardo de Monteagudo (Minister of Foreign Affairs of Peru). Regarding the issue of Guayaquil (which was a free province at the time), the treaty stipulates that ‘the demarcation of the precise limits that are to divide the territories of the Republic of Colombia and the State of Peru will be arranged by a particular agreement after the next Constituent Congress of Peru has empowered the Executive Power of the same State to fix this point.’ Later that month, on 31 July 1822, El Libertador, Simón Bolívar, annexed the free province of Guayaquil into the Republic of Colombia.

6.    On 18 December 1823, the Galdeano-Mosquera Agreement was signed in Lima, Peru. It states that ‘Both parties recognize the limits of their respective territories, the same ones that the former viceroyalties of Peru and Nueva Grenade.’ However, both sides did not realise that the Royal Decrees of 1803 and 1807 had incorporated the province of Guayaquil into what was then the Viceroyalty of Peru.

7.    The Royal Decrees of 1803 and 1807 gives Peru de jure control of Guayaquil. However, the Republic of Colombia has exercised de facto of the province since its annexation in 1822. Hence, the Galdeano-Mosquera Agreement was immediately approved by Peruvian Congress, but later rejected by the Republic of Colombia months after.

8.    On 9 December 1824, after the victory at the Battle of Ayacucho, with triumphant moods, many Peruvian patriots demonstrated against El Liberdator, Simón Bolívar, who they accused of having dictatorial inclinations. It is worth noting that during Bolívar’s regime, he did not make territorial claims on behalf of Peru but appointed Peruvian governors in Jaén de Bracamoros. Peru exercises de facto control over Jaén de Bracamoros, and has administrative and military control over significant portions of the province. Many efforts were made to discuss the restitution of Jaén de Bracamoros to Ecuador, but to no avail.

Present situation

9.    The events of 1827 heightened Colombian-Peruvian tensions to new levels. When El Liberdator, Simón Bolívar, returned to Bogota to attend to important affairs in 1826, anti-Bolívarian sentiments, or liberal and nationalist sentiments as some reports claim, swept through Peru. This has cumulated into the expulsion of the Bolívarian regime from Lima, unleashing a chain reaction that has plunged the Republic of Colombia, specifically Distrito del Sur (Ecuador), into a great crisis. The new Peruvian government dismissed our representative in Lima, Cristóbal Armero, as well as the Colombian garrison stationed in Peru, resulting in the invasion of Ecuador by the Third Division and the Guayaquil rebellion in April 1827. This has strained our financial and military resources, and almost led to a total collapse of Colombian rule in Ecuador. Fortunately, the situation has returned to normalcy by now. 

Plans of future operations

10.    Though talks for the restitution of Jaén de Bracamoros have progressed slowly since 1822, there is still hope that a diplomatic solution could be reached. Efforts should be made to strengthen communication between Colombia and Peru so that our territorial boundaries may be settled to the satisfaction of both parties.

11.    However, if Peru refuses to engage in meaningful negotiation, then military preparations must be made for precaution, assertation, and contingents. The expulsion of the Bolívarian regime from Lima has seriously damaged relations with the Republic of Colombia, and is a strong indication that Peru will express more disagreement, or even hostility, to the Republic of Colombia. In that sense, a pre-emptive invasion of Peru would not only secure our right territorial integrity, but also ensure friendly neighbouring regimes.

12.    Peru has inherited a navy of significant firepower and tonnage from the Viceroyalty. Our intelligence of the exact figures is still unclear. In the event of war, it is only logical that Peru would use its navy to blockade and subsequently occupy Guayaquil. Efforts should be directed to strengthen our military presence in the province.

J.F.

Quito, Distrito del Sur.

    1st April, 1828.

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Distribution: –

Cabinet members de la República

Senior civil and military officials in Distrito del Sur