Colombian Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Recruited by British-Based Companies

Situated close to the gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a plain, nondescript block of flats. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a grim secret: a small flat connected to murderous atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this apartment in the capital is connected to a transnational network of firms involved in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to combat in the African nation alongside militias accused of myriad atrocities and genocide.

Hundreds of Former Colombian Military Recruited

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of civilians.

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives.

While reports of atrocities increase, connections have been found between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

UK Address Connected to Censured Firm

The apartment in north London is registered to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and penalized recently by the American authorities for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom.

The firm is operational. The following day the United States imposed sanctions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the centre of London. Its new postcode 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 used their addresses.

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

Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight

Experts argue the saga highlights questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, torture and assault" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When asked about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had awareness of the company's operations or verify the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

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

Operation Headed by Retired Officer

According to the American authorities, the figure at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the Gulf state.

The US alleges 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 running the agency.

Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a company alleged of processing money and payroll for the network hiring the mercenaries.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted many bank transactions, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of this year, the penalized figures registered a firm in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

The two list Britain 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 conflict, experts state. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft were instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing daily fatalities," said the expert. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this outside support."

He noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a London firm highlighted broader concerns over the lack of strict vetting when firms are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A government source said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing and controlling UK companies.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is demanding an halt to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery."

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