Chile to file claim against Bolivia over disputed Silala river

The Chilean government has announced that it will file a claim with the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, against Bolivia regarding the status of the disputed Silala river, which is shared between the two countries.

The government of President Michelle Bachelet (pictured) is asking the court to "adjudge and declare that the Silala River is an international watercourse and therefore that Chile is entitled to the use of its waters under international law," according to a statement from the foreign affairs ministry.

President Evo Morales of Bolivia has also announced that the landlocked country will file a counterclaim against Chile.

This is the latest in a decades-old dispute between the two countries over the river. In March both countries threatened to go to the International Court of Justice over the matter.

The controversy between the two South American neighbors over the river, which originates in Bolivia and flows into Chile, was nearly resolved in 2009 when the two countries reached a preliminary agreement. However, the deal was never finalized.

Bolivia has also submitted a case to the UN court in The Hague arguing that Chile has an obligation to negotiate a solution to the country's claim to sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean, which it lost to Chile during the War of the Pacific in the late 19th century.