Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Recruited by UK-Registered Firms

Tucked away close to a gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in London is a squat, nondescript apartment building. Behind its unremarkable facade lies a dark reality: a small flat connected to murderous crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in the capital is tied to a international network of companies involved in the mass hiring of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities and genocide.

Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread killing of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the 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 accounts of violence mount, connections have been identified between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in north London is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and sanctioned recently by the American authorities for recruiting 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 living in the United Kingdom.

The firm remains active. The following day the US treasury imposed restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of central London. Its updated address corresponds to a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

Both hotels stated 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 fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight

Experts argue the saga highlights concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the UK capital.

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

When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the company's activities or verify the location of the penalized people.

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

Network Headed by Former Soldier

According to the US treasury, the man at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the Gulf state.

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

Another dual national was also sanctioned for managing a company accused of processing money and salaries for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual engaged in many bank transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

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

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was transferred to the hired fighters, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

Both list the UK as their "place of residency".

Effect on the War and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, experts state. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

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

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," said the analyst. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He added that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a UK company highlighted broader concerns over the lack of strict vetting when firms are established.

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

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A UK official said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing and controlling UK companies.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

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

The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A report 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 demanding an halt to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery."

They noted that the UK had also sanctioned RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.