Colombian Contractors in Sudan Reportedly Hired by UK-Registered Firms

Situated near the shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in London lies a plain, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable facade exists a dark reality: a cramped flat linked to deadly atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in the capital is connected to a transnational network of companies involved in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside militias charged of myriad atrocities and genocide.

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.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has cost over 60,000 lives.

As reports of atrocities increase, connections have been identified between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in Tottenham is registered to a company named Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as resident in Britain.

The firm is active. The day after the United States imposed restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of central London. Its updated address corresponds to one luxury accommodation in a central district.

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

"It is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in north London," said an expert, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Oversight

Experts say the saga raises questions over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the UK capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When questioned about Zeuz Global, the registry did not comment 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 May, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Headed by Retired Officer

Per 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 United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US alleges this individual of playing a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a company accused of processing money and payroll for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of this year, the penalized figures registered a firm in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one named as a key controller.

Both list Britain as their "country of residence".

Effect on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft proved key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily civilian deaths," said the analyst. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport 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 stated.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors 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 Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery."

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