Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Recruited by British-Based Companies

Situated near the shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a plain, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its unremarkable facade exists a grim secret: a small flat connected to murderous atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this apartment in north London is connected to a international network of firms implicated in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad war crimes and genocide.

Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives.

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

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in north London is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two people named and penalized recently by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in records at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The firm remains active. The day after the US treasury imposed restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of central London. Its new postcode matches one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had used their addresses.

"This is of major concern that the key individuals the American authorities states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a apartment in north London," stated an expert, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Experts argue the saga raises questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the British capital.

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

When asked about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, set up in May, was labelled as "under construction" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

According to the American authorities, 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 Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of playing a central role in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for running the agency.

Another dual national was similarly censured for managing a company alleged of handling funds 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 official announcement read.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

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

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are listed in Companies House records as holding "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

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

Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the war, experts state. These nationals have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, foot soldiers, trainers, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft were instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," said the expert. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support."

He noted that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when companies are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A government source stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and running UK companies.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the protection of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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