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Costa Rica wants to halt Nicaraguan canalCosta Rica wants to halt Nicaraguan canal

The Costa Rican government has called on the UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to stop the construction of a $40bn interoceanic canal across Nicaragua, local media reported.

Michele Labrut, Americas Correspondent

October 17, 2013

1 Min Read
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Nicaragua and Costa Rica have been involved in a legal dispute concerning border rights and purported environmental damage along the San Juan and Colorado rivers since 2010.

The Costa Rican government accused Nicaragua, in a hearing held 14 October, of building two artificial canals along the San Juan river in an effort to push the Rio Sam further South. It claimed it has irrefutable proof that Nicaragua has violated the ICJ provisional measures dictated in 2011 ordering both countries to withdraw all personnel from the border region. Oral hearings will continue 16 and 17 October and Costa Rica is asking the Court to protect its sovereignty.

Nicaragua claims it had to dredge the river because of sediments that could cause flooding. The San Juan River is one of the routes, not defined yet, considered for Nicaragua's interoceanic canal for which feasibilities studies are actually underway. The Canal works are expected to start by end-2014.

About the Author

Michele Labrut

Americas Correspondent

Michèle Labrut is a long-time Panama resident, a journalist and correspondent, and has continuously covered the maritime sector of Central & Latin America.

Michèle first came to Panama as a press attaché to the French Embassy and then returned to the isthmus as a foreign correspondent in the 1980s.

Author of Seatrade Maritime's annual Panama Maritime Review magazine and of several books, Michèle also wrote for Time magazine, The Miami Herald, NBC News and the Economist Intelligence Unit. She has also collaborated in making several documentaries for the BBC and European and U.S. television networks.

Michèle's profession necessitates a profound knowledge of the country, but her acumen is not from necessity alone, but a genuine passion for Panama.

In 2012 she was awarded the Order of Merit (Knight grade) by the French Government for her services to international journalism and in 2021 the upgrade to Chevalier grade.

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