88 Chapter 2
September 24 Guatemala announced it would support an uprising in Honduras, and
the ouster of puppet President Davila, effectively taking sides with El Salvador.
The United States sponsored a Washington Conference of 1907 to try to enact
some kind of settlement to the issues that would bring some semblance of peace to
the region. All sides agreed to meet in a protocol signed in Washington on September
- They met on November 15 in Washington. Work on treaties began on November
27 and ended on December 20. Nine treaties were signed, including a general peace
treaty, which provided that Honduras would remain neutral in regional matters that
do not directly involve it. Another treaty called for a Central American Court of
Justice.
During the course of the negotiations, it became clear to the Americans that Zelaya
was a menace in the region and was working toward a situation where he was the
hegemon. His presence made Nicaragua more worrisome to peace in the area than
Guatemala. Shortly after the conclusion of the Washington Conference, Zelaya abro-
gated the terms of the peace treaty by leading rebel groups against Davila in Honduras.
The United States ultimately removed him from Nicaragua in 1909.
Coding changes: End Date changed from April 23, 1907. Settlement changed from
Imposed.
MID#1203
Started in January 1909. See the narrative in the 2 United States of America/93 Nica-
ragua dyad dispute list.
MID#1195
Dispute Number: 1195
Date(s): July 2, 1918 to August 30, 1918
Participants: 93 Nicaragua/91 Honduras
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (Negotiated)
Fatalities: None
Narrative: The border problems between Honduras and Nicaragua began in the
nineteenth century, originating from the Spanish colonies’ independence. The two
countries began settling their border disputes through the Bonilla-Gamez Treaty
of 1894, but that was not the end of the disagreements. In 1906, an arbiter was
named and gave a decision that Nicaragua rejected in 1912. During the time fol-
lowing, Nicaraguan forces occupied the north bank of the Coco River which was
also claimed by Honduras. Honduran troops, while they never attacked those from
Nicaragua, showed force by massing on the border line. The two countries continued
to disagree, and no solution was found. At the end of August 1918, they signed a
ceasefire agreement.
There were military clashes in the 1950s causing Honduras to invoke the Rio
Pact in May 1957. They placed military forces on the Honduran side of the Coco
River in defense of the claim that Nicaragua invaded its territory. As a result, the
International Court of Justice looked at the case and upheld the 1906 award, ruling
that Nicaragua should move its troops back, which it did in 1962.