Peru declares 60-day state of emergency on its border with Colombia

Peru has declared a 60-day state of emergency on its border with Colombia in order to guarantee security in a region rife with drug trafficking. President Martin Vizcarra said, the decision was taken as there are security problems created by Colombian citizens crossing the border and there was a need to reestablish the state's presence. Vizcarra said, Police and armed forces



used five helicopters and three planes in joint operations with their Colombian counterparts in the first patrol in the area.

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