Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies

Situated close to a gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London lies a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable facade lies a grim reality: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to murderous atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a transnational web of firms involved in the large-scale hiring of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad atrocities and genocide.

Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the widespread killing of civilians.

These contractors were key participants in the RSF's capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives.

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

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Company

The flat in north London is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

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

The firm is operational. The following day the United States announced sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of London. Its new postcode corresponds to a luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

Both hotels stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had listed their addresses.

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in north London," stated an expert, a analyst and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight

Experts say the situation highlights questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a company in the British capital.

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

When questioned about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not respond on whether it had awareness of the company's operations or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its website, created in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with no contact details.

Network Led by Retired Officer

Per the American authorities, the figure at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of playing a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for running the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a business alleged of handling funds and salaries for the operation employing the mercenaries.

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

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In April of this year, the sanctioned individuals set up a firm in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

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

The two describe the UK as their "country of residence".

Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the war, experts state. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for drones.

These drones were key in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," added the expert. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this outside support."

He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

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

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A government source stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and controlling UK firms.

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

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

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of the contractors. A report alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the safety of civilians, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access."

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