The case dates back to September 2013, when Costa Rican authorities discovered that Nicaragua had been dredging canals through Isla Portillos to connect the San Juan River with the Caribbean Sea despite that fact that the International Court of Justice had declared the territory “disputed."
Former guerrilla leader Edén Pastora, the Nicaraguan government's point man for the ongoing dredging of the Río San Juan, on Tuesday evening called accusations by Costa Rican officials that Nicaraguan workers had violated Tico sovereignty "lies."
Costa Rican officials on Tuesday afternoon shared with members of the press photo and video evidence of Nicaraguan workers allegedly using chainsaws to remove trees in Costa Rican territory, near the two countries' border. The images, made public by Costa Rica's ministers of foreign relations and public security, Manuel González and Celso Gamboa, respectively, also show a dredging boat on the Río San Juan that – according to González – is eroding the riverbank on Costa Rica's side of the border.
Nicaragua’s Foreign Minister Samuel Santos on Saturday told media from his country that crews are working to "provide maintenance" to the Río San Juan because the International Court of Justice reiterated that the border river belongs to Nicaraguan and the court “recommended and practically demanded that we take proper care of it and maintain it."
Costa Rica’s Foreign Minister Manuel González on Thursday sent a formal protest note after confirming evidence of logging on Costa Rican land by Nicaraguans traveling on the Río San Juan, a natural border between the two countries.
With the theme “Silence is not an option for us,” Solís called for a more proactive Security Council and criticized the use of vetoes by permanent members of the council to obstruct conflict resolution.
Costa Rica's Foreign Minister Manuel González Sanz on Thursday expressed concern over the country's chilly relations with the Sandinista administration of Daniel Ortega to the north. González spoke about Costa Rica-Nicaragua relations during a two-hour hearing at the Legislative Assembly’s International Affairs Commission.
President Luis Guillermo Solís responded to media reports that Nicaragua would add 13 more dredging ships to the two already in the river, which is Nicaraguan territory. The president alleged that the additional dredging would risk affecting the water levels in the river and could damage the Isla Calero wetlands.
