Colombian Contractors in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies

Tucked away close to the gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital lies a plain, nondescript block of flats. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a dark reality: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to murderous atrocities unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

According to UK government records, this apartment in north London is tied to a international network of firms involved in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of women and children.

These contractors were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

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

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Firm

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

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are described in documents at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The company is operational. The day after the United States imposed restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of London. Its updated address matches a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question said they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had listed their postcodes.

"It is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities claims are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," said an expert, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Oversight

Analysts say the situation highlights questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the British capital.

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

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

Contacting Zeuz was unsuccessful; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Network Led by Former Soldier

According to the American authorities, the man at the heart of the South American recruitment operation 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 key part in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a business accused of processing money and payroll for the operation hiring the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

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

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering over 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the site was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are named 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 Broader Concerns

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the war, experts state. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors 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 fighting in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing daily fatalities," said the analyst. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this outside support."

He noted that the participation of penalized persons in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are established.

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

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official said that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK companies.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an apology from the South American nation's government.

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

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

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

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