BATTLE OF JAMBELÍ: CAUSES, DEVELOPMENT, CONSEQUENCES - HISTORY - 2025

The battle of Jambelí was an armed confrontation between the Peruvian destroyer BAP Almirante Villar and the Ecuadorian gunboat BAE Calderón. This exchange of fire took place on July 25, 1941, in the context of the war between the two countries. Peru calls this confrontation the “Jambelí incident”, while Ecuador calls it the “Jambelí battle”.

The meeting between the two ships began when Admiral Villar left Zorritos with the mission of entering Ecuadorian waters. His intention was, according to the country's sources, to carry out reconnaissance and patrol tasks. However, the Ecuadorians claim that the real purpose was to block the port of Guayaquil.

Ecuadorian allegory on the battle of Jambelí - Source: Kevin Vélez / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

When Abdón Calderón discovered the enemy ship, he tried to stop it by firing a series of shots, which were responded to from the battleship. The result of the confrontation did not influence the development of the war, but Ecuador celebrates it as a victory for having been able to stop a military ship far superior in weapons.

The war between the two countries was due to the claim of some border areas, something that had caused several previous confrontations and that continued after this conflict. According to Ecuador, Peruvians had invaded its territory, while Peru claimed that it was Ecuadorians who broke the status quo.

Causes

The battle or incident of Jambelí occurred on July 25, 1941, during the war between Peru and Ecuador. This conflict, which lasted between July 5, 1941 and January 29, 1942, was caused by territorial disputes that had already led to previous confrontations between the two countries.

Previous territorial claims

The territorial conflict between Ecuador and Peru had been recurrent since practically the independence of both countries.

Ecuador claimed the provinces of Jaén, Maynas and Tumbes, in the hands of Peru, while this country claimed that the sovereignty of these territories belonged to it legally.

Both countries provided different laws to reaffirm their rights. The Peruvians pointed out that the Royal Decree of 1802, by which Maynas became part of the Viceroyalty of Peru, supported their thesis. In addition, she affirmed that the uti possidetis iure of 1810 and the principle of self-determination of the peoples also consolidated her position.

Ecuador, on the other hand, presented what was collected in the creation document of the Royal Court of Quito of 1563, the uti possidetis of 1810 (which it interpreted differently), the Guayaquil treaty of 1829 and the Pedemonte-Mosquera Protocol as arguments sufficient legal grounds to claim sovereignty.

In addition to these considerations, Peru affirmed that the lands of the former Quijos Government, in Ecuadorian hands, should be part of its territory.

Armed Peru-Ecuador conflict of 1941

Before the war broke out in 1941, Ecuador and Peru had already met on other occasions. In addition, several treaties had been signed, but the situation remained unresolved.

The 1941 war, which did not have a prior formal declaration, began on July 5, 1941 and lasted seven months, until February 12, 1942.

The two countries involved offer different reasons for starting the war. Ecuador accused the Peruvians of invading their territory, but Peru denied those facts and affirmed that it was the Ecuadorians who violated the status quo established by the Lima Act of 1936.

Therefore, Peru indicated that the entry of its troops into Ecuadorian territory was legal and that it intended to force Ecuador to respect its territorial rights.

Attempt to block the port of Guayaquil

According to the Ecuadorians, the reaction of the Andón Calderón crew, commanded by Rafael Morán, was due to the intention of the Peruvian navy to blockade the Gulf of Guayaquil. Peruvians, on the other hand, reject this accusation. The action of the Ecuadorian crew members of Abdón Calderón, commanded by Commander Rafael.

Development of the battle

The Ecuadorians sent their warships to the Jambelí canal to monitor any attempt at a Peruvian invasion.

At that time, Ecuador's armed forces were at a great disadvantage, as they were outnumbered by a ratio of 10 to 1. Furthermore, the weapons were very outdated and its air forces were non-existent.

Faced with this inferiority, the United States, Argentina, and Brazil intervened to stop the conflict, but only managed to stop operations for a few days. On July 23, 1941, the armed conflict resumed.

Exchange of shots

On July 25, 1941, the Peruvian destroyer Almirante Villar left Zorritos and entered Ecuadorian waters. Its mission was to carry out reconnaissance of the area and patrol.

When it was near the Jambelí channel, the Peruvian ship met the Ecuadorian vessel BAE Abdón Calderón, which was entering said channel to go to Guayaquil.

The Ecuadorian ship's commander, Rafael Morán Valverde, ordered a change of course and a 180º turn to head for Puerto Bolívar. In addition, he began firing at Admiral Villar.

The Peruvian destroyer responded by maneuvering in circles so as not to approach the coast, since the bottom was very low. Likewise, he returned fire to his enemy.

After a few minutes of shooting (between 17 and 21 according to sources), the incident ended.

Consequences

The battle or incident at Jambelí ended without any casualties. The two ships were able to continue sailing and the distressing confrontation had repercussions on the general development of the war.

Participant versions

The vision about the result of the confrontation varies according to the versions of both participants. Ecuador affirmed that Admiral Villar suffered serious damage due to the shots fired from the Abdón Calderón, although it did not provide evidence of this.

On the other hand, it is known that Admiral Villar continued his operations until October 1, 1941, when he returned to Callao.

The Abdón Calderón did suffer some damage to the caldera, but it was not due to the shots of his opponents, but rather for forcing his flight and hiding among the dense vegetation of the area.

For Ecuador, the incident has gone down in history due to the unequal power of the two vessels, very favorable to the Peruvian ship.

Protocol of Peace, Friendship and Limits of Rio de Janeiro

The war between Peru and Ecuador ended in January 1942. Both countries signed an agreement called the Protocol of Peace, Friendship and Limits of Rio de Janeiro, which should put an end to their territorial disputes.

However, the claims of both countries did not cease after that agreement and there were escalations of tension and some sporadic clashes throughout the 20th century.

References

1. Ecuador's Ministry of National Defense. Combate de Jambelí, a milestone that marks the history of the Ecuadorian Navy. Obtained from Defensa.gob.ec
2. Wikisource. Peruvian official report on the naval combat of Jambelí. Recovered from es.wikisource.org
3. Marseille, Raul. Battle of Jambelí: Date, causes, development and consequences. Obtained from mundoantiguo.net
4. Ecuador Times. Honors to hero of the Battle of Jambelí. Obtained from ecuadortimes.net
5. Global Security. Ecuadorian-Peruvian War of 1941. Retrieved from globalsecurity.org