Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Hired by UK-Registered Firms

Situated close to the shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a plain, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its unremarkable facade exists a dark secret: a small flat linked to murderous crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this apartment in north London is tied to a transnational network of companies implicated in the mass hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of civilians.

These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has cost at least 60,000 lives.

While accounts of atrocities mount, connections have been found between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Censured Company

The flat in north London is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in records at Companies House as resident in Britain.

The firm remains active. The following day the United States announced restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of London. Its updated address matches a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

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

"This is of major concern that the key individuals the US government claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Oversight

Experts say the saga raises concerns over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a firm in the UK capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and assault" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details.

Network Headed by Retired Officer

Per the American authorities, the man at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer based in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of having a key part in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the network hiring the Colombian fighters.

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

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are listed in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

The two describe the UK as their "country of residence".

Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the war, experts state. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for drones.

These aircraft were instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," said the expert. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He noted that the participation of penalized persons 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 license for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said.

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

A government source said that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and running UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals supplying fighters to the RSF were connected 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 non-combatants, and the removal of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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