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

Situated close to a shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in the British capital is a plain, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a grim reality: a small second-floor apartment connected to murderous crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a transnational web of companies involved in the mass hiring of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous war crimes and genocide.

Scores of Former South American Soldiers Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the widespread killing of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has cost at least 60,000 lives.

While reports of violence increase, links have been found between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two people named and penalized recently by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in records at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom.

The firm is active. The day after the US treasury imposed sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its updated address corresponds to one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

Both hotels said they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had listed their addresses.

"It is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities states are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks

Analysts say the saga highlights concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a firm in the UK capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When questioned about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals.

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

Operation Led by Retired Officer

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 located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in recruiting ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for running the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a company accused of processing money and salaries for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

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

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a key controller.

Both list Britain as their "country of residence".

Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the Colombians 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 serving as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These drones proved instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," said the expert. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support."

He added that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when companies are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and controlling UK companies.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

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

The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of the contractors. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery."

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