Colombian Contractors in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by British-Based Companies

Situated close to the gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a grim reality: a small second-floor apartment linked to deadly atrocities unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a transnational network of companies involved in the mass recruitment of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside militias accused of myriad war crimes and genocide.

Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of civilians.

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

As reports of atrocities mount, links have been identified between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Censured Firm

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and penalized last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in documents at Companies House as resident in Britain.

The company remains operational. The day after the US treasury announced sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of London. Its new postcode corresponds to one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

Both hotels stated they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea 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 based from a flat in north London," stated an expert, a researcher and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks

Analysts say the saga raises concerns over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a firm in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and sexual violence" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When questioned about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or confirm the location of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information.

Network Headed by Retired Officer

Per the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer located in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of having a central role in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a business alleged of handling funds and payroll for the network employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of the current year, the penalized figures set up a firm in north London called 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 camp was handed over to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in Companies House records as owning "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one named as a key controller.

Both list the UK as their "country of residence".

Impact on the War and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the war, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

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 long-range drones causing regular fatalities," said the expert. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this outside support."

He added that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do business with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A government source said that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and running UK firms.

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

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

The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

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

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