Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Recruited by UK-Registered Firms

Tucked away close to the gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London is a squat, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork exists a grim secret: a small second-floor apartment connected to deadly atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to UK government records, this apartment in the capital is connected to a transnational network of companies involved in the large-scale hiring of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside militias charged of numerous war crimes and genocide.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the RSF's capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives.

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

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and penalized last week by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in documents at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The company is operational. The day after the United States imposed sanctions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode matches one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question said they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had listed their addresses.

"It is of major concern that the primary figures the US government states are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Oversight

Experts say the situation raises concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a firm in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, torture and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When asked about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, created in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with lacking information.

Operation Headed by Former Soldier

Per the American authorities, the man at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network 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 ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a business alleged of handling funds and salaries for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted many wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

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

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was handed over to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a key controller.

Both list Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, experts state. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

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

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," added the expert. "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 involvement of penalized persons in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are established.

"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 gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

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

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

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

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

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

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