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

Situated near the gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its ordinary facade lies a dark secret: a cramped flat linked to deadly crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a international web of firms implicated in the large-scale hiring of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside militias charged of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Former Colombian Military Recruited

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of women and children.

These contractors were key participants in the RSF's capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives.

While reports of violence increase, connections have been found between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in north London is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals named and penalized last week by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in documents at the UK company registry as living in the United Kingdom.

The firm remains operational. The day after the United States announced sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of London. Its updated address corresponds to one five-star hotel in a central district.

Both hotels said they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their postcodes.

"It is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight

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

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

When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the company's activities or verify the location of the penalized people.

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

Operation Led by Former Soldier

According to the US treasury, 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 located in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also penalized for running the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a company alleged of processing money and salaries for the network hiring the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In April of this year, the penalized figures set up a company in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering over 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was handed over to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control".

The two describe Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, trainers, and operators for drones.

These aircraft proved instrumental 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 regular fatalities," said the expert. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support."

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

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do deals with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery."

They noted that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF commanders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.