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

Situated near the gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in London lies a squat, nondescript apartment building. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork lies a grim secret: a small flat connected to deadly crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a transnational network of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside militias accused of numerous war crimes and genocide.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While accounts of atrocities mount, connections have been identified between the mercenaries contracted to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

London Flat Connected to Censured Firm

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a company named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and penalized last week by the American authorities for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in records at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The company is active. The day after the United States imposed restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of London. Its updated address corresponds to a five-star hotel in a central district.

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

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

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Experts say the situation highlights questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run 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 asked about the company, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or verify the residency status of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details.

Network Headed by Former Soldier

According to the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a company alleged of handling funds and payroll for the network hiring the mercenaries.

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

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the penalized figures set up a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was transferred to the hired fighters, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in Companies House records as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a key controller.

Both describe Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the War and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the war, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for drones.

These drones were instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," added the analyst. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support."

He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

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

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

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 linked to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the safety of civilians, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access."

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