138-Aerial Herbicide Spraying (Ecuador v. Colombia)

138-Aerial Herbicide Spraying (Ecuador v. Colombia)

On March 31st, 2008, Ecuador filed an application instituting proceedings against Colombia before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), regarding the alleged “aerial spraying [by Colombia] of toxic herbicides at locations near, at and across its border with Ecuador”. The applicant State claimed to have tried, on many occasions, to find a peaceful settlement to this situation, which, according to it, “had already caused serious damage to people, to crops, to animals, and to the natural environment on the Ecuadorian side of the frontier, and poses a grave risk of further damage over time”.

Both states, ended up finding an agreement however on September 9th, 2013, whereby an exclusion zone was created, in which Colombia would not conduct aerial spraying operations, a Joint Commission was set up to ensure that spraying operations outside that zone had not caused herbicides to drift into Ecuador and, so long as they had not, provided a mechanism for the gradual reduction in the width of the said zone. Therefore, the agent for Ecuador wrote to the ICJ on September 12th, 2013 to withdraw the application. As Colombia did not raise any objection, the case was struck out of the List by an order pronounced on September 13th, 2013.

This summary is provided for informational purposes only, does not involve the responsibility of Dome and should in no way be used as a substitute for a careful reading of the judgment and order of the case.