Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Recruited by British-Based Companies

Situated close to the shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a squat, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its ordinary facade exists a dark secret: a small second-floor apartment connected to murderous atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a transnational network of firms implicated in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to combat in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

While reports of violence increase, connections have been identified between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

UK Address Linked to Censured Company

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and penalized recently by the American authorities for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are listed in documents at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The firm is operational. The day after the United States imposed sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

Both hotels said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had listed their addresses.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the US government claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Experts argue the situation highlights questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "organized murder, torture and sexual violence" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide.

When asked about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s activities or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, set up in spring, was labelled as "being built" with lacking information.

Operation Headed by Former Soldier

Per the American authorities, the man at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of playing a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the agency.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for managing a company accused of handling funds and payroll for the operation hiring the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual engaged in numerous bank transactions, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of the current year, the penalized figures set up a company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing over 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are listed in Companies House records as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one named as a key controller.

Both describe the UK as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for drones.

These drones were key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing daily civilian deaths," said the analyst. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance."

He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are established.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do deals with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A government source stated that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and running UK companies.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an apology from the South American nation's government.

One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access."

They noted that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF commanders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.