PERU has declared a 60-day state of emergency at its border with Colombia, to guarantee security in a region rife with drug trafficking.

President Martin Vizcarra yesterday said the measure is “because there are security problems” created by Colombian citizens crossing the border, and there is a need to “re-establish the state’s presence”.

Police and the armed forces used five helicopters and three planes in joint operations with their Colombian counterparts in the first patrol in the area, said Vizcarra.

“More than 50 people were arrested, most of them Colombians involved in illicit drug trafficking.”

The region in which the state of emergency has been declared is the Amazon basin province of Putumayo, separated from Colombia by a river of the same name, a tributary of the Amazon.

“We’re firm, we’re clear, we’re going to defend our sovereignty and our territory,” said Vizcarra. – AFP, July 17, 2018.