Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Recruited by British-Based Firms

Situated near a shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in London is a squat, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its ordinary facade lies a dark secret: a small flat connected to deadly crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a transnational web of companies involved in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the RSF's capture 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.

As accounts of atrocities increase, connections have been found between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and penalized last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are described in records at the UK company registry as living in Britain.

The firm remains active. The day after the US treasury imposed restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of London. Its updated address corresponds to one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

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

"This is of major concern that the key individuals the American authorities claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Analysts argue the saga raises questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a firm in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and sexual violence" following the faction's seizure 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 knowledge of the company's activities or verify the residency status of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Headed by Former Soldier

Per the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for overseeing a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the network hiring the mercenaries.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, totalling many millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In April of this year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

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

Both list Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the war, experts state. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These drones were key in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," added the analyst. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are established.

"Owning a UK company like this is a license for bad actors 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 UK official stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK firms.

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

One of the fighters recently confirmed that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the safety of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery."

They noted that the UK had recently imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.