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

Situated near a shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in London is a plain, nondescript apartment building. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork lies a grim reality: a small second-floor apartment connected to murderous atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this apartment in the capital is connected to a international network of firms implicated in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Former Colombian Military Enlisted

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of civilians.

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

While reports of violence mount, links have been identified between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

UK Address Connected to Censured Company

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

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

The firm remains active. The day after the United States imposed restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to a five-star hotel in a central district.

Both hotels said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had used their addresses.

"This is of major concern that the key individuals the US government claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," said an expert, a researcher and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight

Experts say the saga highlights questions over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the conflict 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, abuse and assault" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

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

Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Operation Headed 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 based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for overseeing a company accused of handling funds and salaries for the network hiring the mercenaries.

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

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

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

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, 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 company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

Both describe the UK as their "place of residency".

Effect on the War and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the course of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, trainers, and operators for drones.

These aircraft proved key in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," 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 involvement of penalized persons in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when companies are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

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

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the protection of civilians, and the removal of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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