Peru Says Ecuador Ignores Cease-Fire, Shoots at Troops : South America: Lima accuses Quito’s forces of attacking a base. Both sides claim it as their territory.

Only hours after declaring a cease-fire to end a three-week border conflict with Ecuador, Peru accused Ecuador of ignoring the truce and firing on Peruvian troops.

Peruvian Gen. Daniel Mora, head of the army’s information office, said the cease-fire was ordered for noon Tuesday, “but we’re still receiving hostile fire from Ecuadorean troops. If they shoot at us, we have to defend ourselves.”

A communique issued by Peru’s joint chiefs of staff accused Ecuador of firing artillery at Tiwinza, a contested base located in what both countries claim as their territory.

“Tiwinza, taken by Peruvian forces, is receiving intense artillery fire from the Ecuadorean bases of Coangos, Banderas and Mirador,” the communique said.

The cease-fire was announced Monday night by Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori. Ecuador said its forces would also cease hostilities unless fired upon.

“Ecuadorean troops concentrated on the Cenepa River will not fire a single shot if they are not provoked,” said Col. Alberto Molina, spokesman for Ecuador’s Defense Ministry.

Peru says 38 of its soldiers have died in the fighting, which broke out Jan. 26. Ecuador has acknowledged 10 killed. Unofficially, however, the death toll is said to be much higher.

Fighting escalated over the weekend as Ecuador shot down three Peruvian fighter jets and a helicopter. Earlier in the fighting, Ecuador downed two helicopters. Peru claims it shot down three Ecuadorean aircraft, but Ecuador denies this.

Tiwinza is located at the headwaters of the Cenepa River in a watershed claimed by both countries. Ecuador has repeatedly denied losing Tiwinza and two other bases that Peru has claimed to have taken.

“What we know is that we’ve conquered Tiwinza,” Mora said in an interview. “But we’re still in the stage of consolidating the zone.”

Peru has called for an international observer mission to “verify the observation of the cease-fire and the re-establishment of peace.” The observers “should go to the zone and separate the forces,” Mora said.

He said orders to demobilize Peruvian troops in the combat zone will depend on negotiations between the two countries. Argentina, Brazil, Chile and the United States have been mediating talks in Brazil since Jan. 31.

The four mediating countries are the “guarantors” of a 1942 peace agreement known as the Protocol of Rio de Janeiro that ended a 1941 border war between Ecuador and Peru. Ecuador rejected the treaty in 1960, and a 48-mile stretch of the border has remained in dispute.