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

Tucked away near a shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in London lies a squat, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a dark reality: a small second-floor apartment linked to murderous atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in the capital is tied to a international web of companies involved in the mass recruitment of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad war crimes and genocide.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence increase, links have been found between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Linked to Censured Company

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for hiring contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are described in records at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The company remains active. The following day the US treasury announced restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

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

"It is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," said an expert, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight

Analysts say the situation raises concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a company in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide.

When questioned about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s activities or verify the location of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Operation Headed by Former Soldier

According to the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of having a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm.

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

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

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

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

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

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control".

The two list Britain as their "country of residence".

Impact on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These drones proved key in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing daily civilian deaths," added the expert. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance."

He noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a UK company underlined wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when firms are established.

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

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

A government source said that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing 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 confirmed that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

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

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