Colombia, decree on the waters of San Andrés. Tension returns with Managua

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella announced that on November 30 the government will issue a decree to draw the baselines that delimit the territorial waters and continental shelf of the San Andrés and Providencia archipelago, at the center of a maritime dispute with Nicaragua.

The measure will allow precise coordinates to be inserted into official Colombian nautical charts. "Colombia is sovereign and will enforce what belongs to it. It will not give up a nautical mile or a coral reef and it will not abandon its fishermen", declared De la Espriella, also announcing the strengthening of the Navy's controls against piracy.

In 2012 the International Court of Justice recognized Colombian sovereignty over the archipelago, but awarded Nicaragua sovereign rights over the natural resources of part of the surrounding waters. In 2023 the Court ruled that Managua cannot extend its continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the coast.