Colombian Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Recruited by British-Based Companies

Situated near the gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its unremarkable facade lies a dark secret: a small second-floor apartment connected to murderous atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a international web of companies involved in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of civilians.

These contractors were directly involved in the RSF's capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a killing frenzy that experts believe has cost at least 60,000 lives.

As accounts of atrocities mount, links have been identified between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

UK Address Connected to Censured Firm

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

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

The company remains active. The day after the United States announced sanctions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of London. Its new postcode matches one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

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

"It is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks

Analysts argue the situation highlights questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and sexual violence" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide.

When questioned about Zeuz Global, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or confirm the residency status of the penalized people.

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

Network Led by Former Soldier

According to the US treasury, the man 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 having a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also penalized for running the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a business accused of processing money and payroll for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

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

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 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 named in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control".

Both describe Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the war, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

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

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," said the analyst. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance."

He added that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when companies are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business 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 new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and controlling UK firms.

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

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

The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

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

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