Willington Henao charged with child recruitment and murder

Colombian prosecutors have charged Willington Henao Gutiérrez, known as ‘Mocho Olmedo’, with several serious crimes including the forced recruitment of 31 minors, the displacement of 84 people, and the murder of a community leader.

Henao, identified as the second-in-command of the FARC dissident Front 33, attended the virtual hearing from La Picota prison in Bogotá. He did not accept the charges, which include conspiracy to commit a crime, homicide of a protected person, and forced displacement. The crimes are linked to activities in the Catatumbo region of Norte de Santander, specifically within the municipalities of Tibú and El Tarra.

The prosecution alleges that in January 2025, armed members of Front 33 forced residents to flee their homes and murdered a community leader from the Guachimán district by taking him from his residence and killing him near a coal mine. Henao was captured in February 2025 and currently faces a request for extradition to the United States.