THE HAGUE, 4 December 2015. On Wednesday 16 December 2015, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, will deliver its Judgment in the joined cases concerning Certain Activities carried out by Nicaragua in the Border Area (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua) and the Construction of a Road in Costa Rica along the San Juan River (Nicaragua v. Costa Rica).

A public sitting will take place at 3 p.m. (The Hague time) at the Peace Palace, The Hague, the seat of the Court, during which the President of the Court, Judge Ronny Abraham, will read the Court’s decision. It is recalled that the judgments of the Court have binding force and are without appeal for the parties concerned.

As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, the International Court’s delivery of this judgment will hopefully bring closure to the “Google Maps Invasion” of Costa Rica by a Nicaraguan infantry squad led by an aging guerrilla leader involved in dredging operations along the San Juan River.

The convoluted incident dates back to 2010, and it was blamed on Google Maps. The invasion was spearheaded by Eden Pastora, formerly known as Commander Zero, who was granted Costa Rican citizenship right around the end of the Cold War. Mr. Pastora set up bivouac for his Nicaraguan soldiers in Isla Calero. When our Ministry of Foreign Affairs complained to Google, the search engine giant revealed that their mapping data on the region was obtained from the United States Department of State. All the same, it was incorrect information that Google quickly amended.

The incident became even more bizarre after former President Laura Chinchilla authorized the construction of a border road that was quickly nicknamed “La Trocha.” Ostensibly, the highway would serve as a quick evacuation route for residents of the remote Isla Calero as well as an operational road for members of Fuerza Publica, the national police force of Costa Rica, assigned to guard the border.

President of Nicaragua Daniel Ortega was quick to complain about environmental damage caused by La Trocha construction even as his engineers dredged the San Juan River and dumped muck on Isla Calero. These days, La Trocha is mostly unfinished and residents complain that it has become a smuggler’s highway.