Ecuador to suspend construction of border wall with Peru: FM

Ecuador informed Peru that it has decided to halt construction of a border wall, an issue that had inflamed tensions between the two nations.

Quito's Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa yesterday announced her government's decision to halt the controversial construction project during a visit to Peru.

"The foreign ministry of Ecuador confirms the suspension of the construction of the wall," Espinosa said in a statement.

Earlier this week, Peru recalled its ambassador from Quito to express outrage over the decision by Ecuador to press ahead with the wall despite Lima's objections.

Ecuador had planned a four-meter (13-foot) high barrier along the western side of its southern city of Huaquillas to separate it from the Peruvian town of Aguas Verdes, lying just across a river.

The issue of border walls has become especially sensitive in Latin America after US President Donald Trump promised to build a barrier along the entire southern edge of his country, to prevent undocumented immigrants from crossing over from Mexico.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)