Colombian Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies

Situated near a shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a squat, unremarkable block of flats. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork exists a dark reality: a small flat linked to deadly atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in the capital is tied to a transnational network of companies implicated in the mass hiring of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous war crimes and genocide.

Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread killing of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the RSF's capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence increase, links have been found between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The apartment in north London is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and penalized recently by the American authorities for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in records at Companies House as resident in Britain.

The firm remains operational. The day after the US treasury announced restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of central London. Its updated address matches one five-star hotel in a central district.

The establishments in question said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their addresses.

"It is of major concern that the key individuals the American authorities claims are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in north London," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight

Experts argue the situation highlights questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a firm in the British capital.

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

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

Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, set up in May, was labelled as "under construction" with no contact details.

Operation Headed by Retired Officer

Per the American authorities, the figure at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in recruiting ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm.

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

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

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

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

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

The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control".

Both describe Britain as their "country of residence".

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, foot soldiers, trainers, and pilots for drones.

These aircraft proved key in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," added 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 sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when firms are established.

"Owning a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and controlling UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

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 recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an halt to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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