Nicaraguan oil exploration near the Colombian archipelago of San Andres was suspended due to a civil action brought by an environmental agency, local media reported Thursday.
The exploration in the seas to the west of the island of San Andres — a maritime area at the heart of a border dispute — was suspended after Coralina, the sustainable development agency of the San Andres archipelago brought a civil suit, RCN reported.
Coralina was alerted to Nicaragua’s intention by Armando Zamorra, the director of ANH, Colombia’s National Hydrocarbons Agency.
Colombian senator and second vice president of the Senate Alexandra Moreno Piraquive condemned Nicaragua for giving the order to drill in the contested waters, according to El Espectador.
Moreno Piraquive has asked the Foreign Ministry to send a letter of protest to Managua to prevent the Central American country from commencing petroleum exploration.