Colombian Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Hired by UK-Registered Firms

Tucked away close to the gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in the British capital is a plain, unremarkable block of flats. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a grim secret: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to murderous atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

According to British official documents, this apartment in the capital is tied to a transnational web of firms involved in the mass hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of civilians.

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives.

As reports of atrocities mount, links have been identified between the mercenaries contracted to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

London Flat Connected to Censured Company

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and penalized last week by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are described in records at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The firm is active. The day after the United States announced sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of 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 were unaware why the company had used their addresses.

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

Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks

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

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse 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, Companies House did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or verify the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, created in May, was labelled as "under construction" with lacking information.

Operation Headed by Retired Officer

According to the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the South American recruitment operation 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 playing a central role in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His wife was also penalized 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.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a company in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the camp was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control".

Both describe Britain as their "place of residency".

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, experts state. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These drones were key 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 fatalities," added the expert. "These systems require outside assistance 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 UK company highlighted broader concerns over the absence of strict vetting when firms are established.

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

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A government source said that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and controlling UK companies.

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

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

The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the removal of obstacles to aid delivery."

They added that the UK had also sanctioned RSF commanders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.