Peru-Colombia clash hits home

A remote island on the Amazon River — now the subject of a territorial dispute between Peru and Colombia - has a single paved road for a main street, which is home to more nightclubs and evangelical churches than any other businesses.

- FRANKLIN BRICEÑO

PERUVIAN soldiers prepare for a ceremony on Santa Rosa, an island at the center of a territorial dispute.

Named after a 16th century saint, Santa Rosa has no running water or sewage system for its 3,000 residents, who build their one-story homes on stilts to prevent them from flooding every year. The people are Peruvians, but they cross the river to neighboring cities in Colombia or Brazil to see a doctor for routine care or an emergency that the rusting local health center cannot handle.

"Our island suffers from many needs," said Marcos Mera, the owner of a restaurant and dance hall in Santa Rosa, as he set up tables.

Although the struggles of Mera and his neighbors are not new, their hometown has suddenly become the center of attention for the Peruvian government. The surge in interest even prompted a presidential visit after Colombian President Gustavo Petro disavowed Peruvian jurisdiction over Santa Rosa this month.