The Colombian government has reignited its dispute with Nicaragua over the maritime boundaries of the San Andrés archipelago, a controversy that appeared to have been settled by rulings from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague nearly 15 years ago.
President Abelardo De la Espriella announced that his administration would issue a decree establishing the coordinates of the archipelago’s baselines, a move intended to strengthen Colombia’s position over Caribbean waters and challenge the interpretation of the 2012 international court ruling.
Speaking aboard a Colombian Navy vessel, the president defended national sovereignty and asserted that the country would not relinquish its maritime rights. His announcement was accompanied by remarks from Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara, who argued that the 2012 ruling “is inapplicable if interpreted literally.”
The initiative opens a new chapter in a dispute involving the territorial, fishing and strategic interests of both countries, with direct consequences for the islands’ Raizal population.
Colombia revives maritime boundary dispute with Nicaragua over San Andres
The president announced that he would sign the decree on November 30, as part of celebrations related to San Andres. The measure will establish the archipelago’s baselines — the reference points used to measure the extent of a state’s maritime zones — and require their coordinates to be incorporated into Colombia’s official nautical charts.
“The reef territory is an integral part of Colombian territory and, under the decree we will sign in November, it will have coordinates, as required by the law we intend to enforce,” De la Espriella said during his remarks.
The president also delivered a forceful message about his administration’s position: “Colombia will not cede a single nautical mile, will not give up a single reef, and will not abandon its fishermen.” He added that the Navy would defend the country’s rights within the framework of the law.
The administration maintains that defining the baselines will strengthen recognition of the archipelago as a single territorial unit. Lara, for his part, has argued that a new diplomatic dialogue with Nicaragua is needed to address the consequences of the court rulings.
The most contentious issue is how Bogota intends to reconcile the initiative with the maritime boundaries established by the International Court of Justice. Establishing coordinates can have legal and cartographic implications, but it does not automatically alter an international boundary set by a court ruling.
The origins of the dispute and subsequent rulings
The dispute dates back decades, but its most recent judicial phase began in 2001, when Nicaragua filed a case with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) challenging sovereignty over the archipelago and seeking a new maritime boundary. The case was based, among other factors, on the interpretation of a 1928 treaty between the two countries.
On November 19, 2012, the court reaffirmed Colombia’s sovereignty over San Andrés, Providencia, Santa Catalina, and several cays in the archipelago. However, it redrew the maritime boundary and recognized Nicaragua’s rights over a vast area of the Caribbean that Colombia considered its own, estimated at nearly 75,000 square kilometers (about 29,000 square miles).
The distinction is crucial: Nicaragua did not gain sovereignty over the Colombian islands, but it did obtain sovereign rights over the natural resources of extensive maritime areas. Colombia retained sovereignty over the islands and their respective territorial waters, although it lost part of the maritime area it had claimed.
The ruling sparked concern among fishermen in San Andres, particularly within the Raizal community, whose economy and way of life are closely tied to the sea. It also raised questions about fishing, control over natural resources, and the protection of the archipelago’s ecosystems.
The dispute continued in the following years. In 2022, the court ruled that Colombia had violated Nicaragua’s sovereign rights in certain maritime areas by interfering in activities that fell under Nicaragua’s jurisdiction. In July 2023, however, it rejected Nicaragua’s claim to extend its continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles into maritime areas overlapping with Colombia’s rights. The latter ruling reaffirmed key elements of the boundary established in 2012.
Legal and diplomatic implications
De la Espriella’s initiative introduces new tensions into a dispute that both countries have sought to manage through judicial rulings and diplomatic contacts. The Colombian government maintains that Law 10 of 1978 mandated the establishment of the archipelago’s baseline system and that this task remains unfinished, unlike on the mainland, where the baselines were established in 1984.
As a decree, the measure does not amount to a unilateral change to an international maritime boundary, which would, moreover, violate international law. The validity and implications of Colombia’s plans will depend both on their specific provisions and on their compatibility with international law and the court’s rulings.
For now, De la Espriella has announced his intention to pursue “good-faith dialogue with Nicaragua,” while arguing that the waters between the islands should be considered Colombian internal waters. That ambition raises questions because the 2012 ruling placed some of those maritime areas within Nicaragua’s exclusive economic zone.
For the time being, Bogota is combining a firm stance on the archipelago’s sovereignty with an offer to negotiate. The decree’s expected issuance on November 30 will reveal the initiative’s precise scope and help determine to what extent the new strategy could reshape relations between the two countries without conflicting with Colombia’s international obligations.
¡SAN ANDRÉS ES COLOMBIA Y NUESTRA SOBERANÍA NO SE NEGOCIA!
Desde un buque de nuestra gloriosa Armada Nacional, en aguas colombianas, le hablé al país con absoluta claridad: ¡Colombia no cede una milla náutica, no cede un arrecife y no abandona a un pescador!
La Patria Milagro empieza en el mar. Por eso, he tomado decisiones históricas para fortalecer nuestra soberanía y convertir a San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina en un centro estratégico marítimo y logístico del Caribe.
El próximo 30 de noviembre expediremos el decreto de líneas de base del Archipiélago, saldando una deuda histórica de 48 años. Además, fortaleceremos la presencia de nuestra Fuerza Pública, modernizaremos el registro de embarcaciones bajo bandera colombiana, impulsaremos la infraestructura portuaria, la pesca artesanal, el turismo náutico y la generación de empleo.
Nuestra comunidad raizal será protagonista de esta transformación, con protección de sus derechos, sus territorios de pesca y la riqueza ambiental de la Reserva Seaflower.
¡La soberanía no solo se proclama, se ejerce, se protege y se hace respetar!
San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina no están solos. Aquí hay Patria, hay autoridad y hay un Gobierno decidido a defender hasta el último rincón de nuestro territorio.
¡Firme por el mar Caribe!
¡Firme por nuestro Archipiélago!
¡Firme por la Patria!¡Viva Cristo Rey!
(A.D.L.E.)
— Abelardo De La Espriella (@ABDELAESPRIELLA) October 19, 2026
