Leticia Incident The Leticia Incident , also called the Leticia War or the Colombia – Peru War ( 1 September 1932 – 24 May 1933 ) , was a short - lived armed conflict between the Republic of Colombia and the Republic of Peru over territory in the Amazon Rainforest . Civilian takeover . The Colombia – Peru War of 1932 - 3 was the result of dissatisfaction with the Salomón - Lozano Treaty and the imposition of heavy tariffs on sugar . The war started with an internal insurrection in Peru , a civilian takeover of the city Iquitos . On September 1 , 1932 President Luis Miguel Sánchez dispatched two regiments of the Peruvian Army to Leticia and Tarapacá , both settlements located in the Amazonas Department in present day southern Colombia . These actions were mostly ignored by the Colombian Government at the time . Colombian patriotism . It was not until September 17 of that same year that the Colombian Government took notice . The Peruvian Military Forces which were encroached upon the banks of the Putumayo River stopped several large trade ships from traveling to Leticia . The result of this was an explosion of Colombian patriotism . Laureano Gómez head of the Senate minority proclaimed , " Peace , peace , peace in inner Colombia ; War , war , war on the border against our despicable enemy . " On September 19 , " El Tiempo " reported that they had received over 10 , 000 letters calling for war and control of Leticia . That same day thousands of Colombian students marched through the streets of Bogotá chanting , " Sánchez Cerro will die and Colombia will defy ! " Vásquez Cobo was declared general of the Colombian Amazonian Navy and 10 million dollars were approved by the Senate to fund his venture . Over 400 kilos of gold were donated by the Colombian cities as a symbol of gratitude to Huilan engineer , César García Álvarez . The war . President Sánchez believed Colombia had no chance of defending itself : lacking roads and a proper Navy , the Amazon region had no Colombian military presence . It was not until December 1932 that General Alfredo Vásquez Cobo reached the mouth of the Amazon River with a fleet of old ships he acquired in Europe . Within 90 days Colombia organized a respectable military response to the Peruvian invasion . Herbert Boy and the other German Aviators of SCADTA ( later to become Avianca ) fitted their commercial planes for war as a temporary Colombian Air Force . The first attack by the Colombian Navy was upon Tarapacá . The city had been chosen because Leticia was on the border with Brazil and the Colombian Forces did not want to create further international conflict by giving the Peruvians a chance to flee into Brazil . The recuperation of Tarapacá was a bloodless event . The day before , February 14 , 1933 , the Peruvian Air Force had attempted to bomb the Colombian Fleet , but most of the bombs had hit off target . The remainder of the Peruvian forces in the zone fled as Vásquez Cobo ' s Amazonian Navy landed the following day . Rio de Janeiro Protocol . On the same day , the Colombian president Enrique Olaya broke off all relations with the Peruvian government due to aerial attack . Not wanting to involve Brazil in the war , the President did not order an attack on Leticia . On April 30 , 1933 , after giving a speech at the Lima Senatal Dome , President Sánchez was shot dead on the steps of the dome by a young cook . 15 days later , his successor , Óscar Benavides , met with the head of the Colombian Liberal Party , Alfonso López Pumarejo , to secure an agreement to turn Leticia over to a League of Nations commission . Colombia and Peru met in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil to sign a peace treaty . In the Rio de Janeiro Protocol , as it was called , Peru stated that , " We sincerely deplore the events that occurred starting September , 1932 . Specifically those that damaged our relationship with Colombia . " The Salomón - Lozano Treaty was also reaffirmed by the Peace Treaty .