Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan Allegedly Hired by British-Based Firms

Situated close to a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London is a squat, nondescript block of flats. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork lies a dark secret: a cramped flat linked to murderous crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in the capital is tied to a international web of companies implicated in the mass hiring of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside militias charged of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread killing of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

As reports of atrocities increase, links have been found between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

UK Address Linked to Censured Company

The flat in Tottenham is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and sanctioned recently by the American authorities for hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are listed in documents at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The firm remains operational. The following day the United States imposed sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of London. Its new postcode corresponds to one five-star hotel in a central district.

Both hotels said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their postcodes.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," stated an expert, a analyst and former member of a UN panel 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 civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and sexual violence" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s activities or verify the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz proved fruitless; its online site, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Network Headed by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a company accused of handling funds and payroll for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

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

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as owning "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one identified as a key controller.

Both describe the UK as their "country of residence".

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, foot soldiers, instructors, and operators for drones.

These aircraft were instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing daily 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 added that the involvement of penalized persons in a UK company underlined wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when firms are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors 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 said.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" 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 came to light last year, leading to an apology from the South American nation's government.

One of the mercenaries recently confirmed that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery."

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