Western Hemisphere 173
responsibility for inciting the clashes of 1928 and required that the country rebuild
Fort Boqueron. In September 1929, an agreement facilitated by the Pan American
League also required Bolivia to return Fort Vanguardia to Paraguay.
Coding changes: Start Date changed from August 22, 1928. End Date changed from
May 13, 1929. Outcome changed from Unclear. Settlement changed from None.
MID#2133
Dispute Number: 2133
Date(s): January 16, 1930 to January 26, 1930
Participants: 145 Bolivia/150 Paraguay
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (Negotiated)
Fatalities: 1–25 deaths
Narrative: The Washington commission appointed Uruguay mediator of the Chaco
Boreal dispute in 1929, and in mid-January 1930 Uruguay proposed that Bolivia and
Paraguay exchange Fort Vanguardia and Fort Boqueron.
Both states agreed but demanded that the other move first. On January 16, 1930,
60 Paraguayan troops attacked a 15-man Bolivian patrol near Fort Boqueron, and a
Bolivian patrol attacked a Paraguayan outpost at Isla Poi, in the Paraguayan River,
killing one on each side. Four days later Paraguay announced its intention to send
information about the clash at Isla Poi to the League of Nations and to states that had
signed the Washington protocol.
Paraguay then accused Bolivia of issuing general attack orders, but Bolivia denied
the charge.
On January 23, the League of Nations got involved. The League’s secretary general
and the Council’s acting president cabled both states with a reminder of their obliga-
tions under the League covenant. Bolivia responded that it was “bound to take military
measures to defend her sovereignty.” On April 4, a protocol granted Uruguay the
authority to execute the conciliation formula.
However, Bolivia underwent a constitutional crisis when its leader attempted to
remain in office past the end of his term, so no progress was made on the issue.
MID#1027
Dispute Number: 1027
Date(s): June 15, 1931 to October 7, 1935
Participants: 150 Paraguay/145 Bolivia
Outcome (and Settlement): Victory for side A (Negotiated)
Fatalities: >999 deaths
Narrative: The Chaco War between Bolivia and Paraguay contested 116,000 square
miles of territory, rumored to have large oil deposits and giving access to the Paraguay
River, Bolivia’s only access to the sea. Bolivia and Paraguay mobilized to fight over
the Chaco Boreal in 1928 and 1929. The sides never resolved the issue. On June 15,
1931, Paraguayan troops advanced into Bolivian-controlled Chaco, and Paraguayan
gunboats advanced up the river. On June 18, 1932, Bolivia seized a Paraguayan fort.
Paraguay responded less than a month later with its own seizure of a Bolivian fort.