Why is the border between Ecuador and Peru militarized?

“What basically divides them is a small channel that usually has a series of informal bridges that merchants on both sides of the border tend to be able to cross, sometimes even for the simple purpose of shopping for the day, “explains Martín Riepl, a contributing journalist for BBC Mundo in Peru.

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“It is not an exaggeration to say that someone from the Ecuadorian side crosses to Peru in the morning to buy bread and comes back for breakfast in Ecuador.”

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Image source, Martin Riepl / BBC Mundo

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But this dynamic changed dramatically with the coronavirus pandemic that forced both countries to close the border.

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Now, the flow of people that was seen before the pandemic does not exist, according to the journalist Jhon Seclén, a correspondent for Latina Televisión in Tumbes, tells BBC Mundo.

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Wooden bridges and mafias

The closure of the border crossing has also harmed thousands of Venezuelan migrants who use the route to enter Peru, either with the purpose of starting a new life in this country or continuing and reaching Argentina or Chile.

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Previously, Venezuelans crossed the border via the Binational Border Attention Center (Cebaf), but since the passage was restricted last year, Venezuelans they build artisan bridges to cross the canal.

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“Now they use trails to cross and one of the problems is that there are mafias on the Ecuadorian side that build wooden bridges and charge Venezuelans to help them enter Peru, “says Jhon Seclén from the border.

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Image source, Getty Images

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The journalist affirms that for a couple of weeks the presence of Venezuelans in Tumbes had become “too” evident.

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“Little is known if they are infected or not”

“They were seen in the squares, in the gardens, in the travel agencies, they slept in the streets. I would even dare to say that there were many more than during the first mass exodus. Never before have so many Venezuelans been seen,” he continues.

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For him, the situation pushed the government to make the controversial decision to send the army to the area.

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In addition, there is a risk that many of the migrants bring the covid-19 with you, which could cause the already high Peruvian number of deaths and infections to increase even more.

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As of last Friday, at least 40,857 people had died from coronavirus in Peru, a figure that makes it one of the most affected countries in the world.

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Image source, Getty Images

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“Little is known whether (the migrants) are infected or not, and this is compounded by the impossibility of testing them,” explains journalist Martín Riepl.

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A political move?

But apart from the pandemic and the massive arrival of Venezuelans, some think that the Peruvian government’s decision is also political.

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Peru plans to hold general elections on April 11 to elect a new president and a renewed group of congressmen, in a context in which the issue of Venezuelan migration has become key.

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According to a survey conducted by the Peruvian Company for Market Studies and Public Opinion (CPI), candidate George Forsyth, from the Victoria Nacional party, leads the race with 10.1% voting intention, followed by Keiko Fujimori (Popular Force) which has 5.6%.

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For Jhon Seclén, this measure could benefit the Purple Party and its candidate Julio Guzmán.

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“In one way or another the population, at least in Tumbes, has approved the measure and even accepts that the army enters the border area with tanks and military vehicles“, says the journalist.

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“Today you can hardly see Venezuelans on the streets or on the highway. Now it is even the other way around: you meet Venezuelans who are going back.”

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Similarly, Martín Riepl sees it logical that the government is addressing the issue with a political agenda.

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Image source, Getty Images

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“Although it is not the favorite, the Purple Party has a chance of reaching the presidency and the other parties are trying to find angles of attack on the government’s management to take power away from the candidacy of Julio Guzmán“, he points.

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This would then be a way of showing that the government is taking care of the matter.

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According to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than a million Venezuelans have settled in Peru in recent years, a figure that makes the country the second with the most Venezuelan emigrants in the world after Colombia

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The Peruvian government justifies its action by claiming that its Constitution authorizes the armed forces to “assume control of internal order in a state of emergency,” but various organizations denounce a violation of the rights of Venezuelan migrants.

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“They don’t have the tools or the training.”

Marina Navarro, Director of Amnesty International Peru, expressed her concern about the militarization of the border.

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“The army is not prepared to carry out immigration controls. They do not have the tools or the training and this can make scenes like the one we saw the other day when a disparate soldieroh in the air in front of very young children, “he tells BBC Mundo.

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Navarro urges the authorities to be more prudent and humane, as many of these people are minors and pregnant women.

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“They are a very vulnerable population that right now has nowhere to go. They are people fleeing massive human rights violations in Venezuela.”

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According to the director of Amnesty International Peru, the militarization of the area only forces people who wanted to enter Peru to now have to choose more dangerous routes.

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Image source, Getty Images

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“They really have nowhere to go and they have to go somewhere.”

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A difficult border to control

Right now, the situation at the border is tense.

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Jhon Seclén affirms that a large group of Venezuelans is on the Ecuadorian side waiting to cross, but on the other side are the police and the army that do not allow them to pass.

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“There have been clashes, Venezuelans insult and throw stones at the military,” he details.

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Peruvian Defense Minister Nuria Esparch indicated that the joint operation between Peru and Ecuador will continue “until it is necessary.”

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The section of the border between Ecuador and Peru in Tumbes is one of the smallest of a line that extends over 1,500 kilometers.

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“It is extensive and has a lot of jungle, so there are sections where it is very difficult to control the entry of migrants, explains Riepl.

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“In fact, Tumbes is one of the smallest regions in Peru and the neighboring region of Piura has even more of a border with Ecuador,” he adds.

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“The point is that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to control clandestine immigration at a border like that.”

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