An aerial view of the Tarra River, which divides Colombia and Venezuela, as seen from Tibu, Norte de Santader Deparment, Colombia, on Sunday. Schneyder Mendoza/AFP/Getty Images ...

Over the past week, Catatumbo — named after the river that snakes through it — has been ripped by the most intense outbreak of violence in a decade.

Willington Henao Gutiérrez, known as "Mocho Olmedo" is one of the leaders of the 33rd front of FARC EMC, a rebel group with around 400 fighters that operates in the northeastern Catatumbo region.

People cross a river to Venezuela from Tibu, Colombia on January 21, 2025, following fightings that killed dozens and forced thousands to flee their homes in the Colombian Catatumbo region ...

Aerial view of the Tarra River, which divides Colombia and Venezuela, as seen from Tibu, Norte de Santader Deparment, Colombia, on Jan. 19, 2025.

The Catatumbo region of Colombia, with numerous natural resources and a key coca leaf production area, has long been a base for criminal groups, paramilitaries and guerrillas.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday condemned the escalating violence in Colombia’s Catatumbo region, near the border with Venezuela, where armed groups have committed severe human rights abuses and ...

An aerial view of the Tarra River, which divides Colombia and Venezuela, as seen from Tibu, Norte de Santader Deparment, Colombia, on Sunday. Schneyder Mendoza/AFP/Getty Images ...

People cross a river to Venezuela from Tibu, Colombia on January 21, 2025, following fightings that killed dozens and forced thousands to flee their homes in the Colombian Catatumbo region ...

More than 80 people were killed in the country’s northeast over the weekend following the government’s failed attempts to hold peace talks with the National Liberation Army, a Colombian ...