Colombian Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Hired by British-Based Firms

Situated near a shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a plain, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a grim reality: a cramped flat linked to murderous atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in the capital is connected to a transnational network of companies implicated in the mass recruitment of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside militias accused of numerous atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the RSF's capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

While accounts of violence increase, connections have been found between the mercenaries contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Linked to Censured Company

The flat in Tottenham is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two people named and penalized recently by the American authorities for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in records at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom.

The firm remains operational. The day after the United States imposed sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of central London. Its new postcode matches a five-star hotel in a central district.

Both hotels said 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 directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in north London," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Oversight

Experts argue the situation highlights concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and assault" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged 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 penalized people.

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

Network Led by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the man at the heart 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 accuses this individual of playing a key part in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the agency.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for managing a business accused of processing money and payroll for the network employing the mercenaries.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual conducted many bank transactions, totalling many millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

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

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, killing more than 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the site was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning 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 person of "significant control".

The two list Britain as their "country of residence".

Effect on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the war, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft were instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily fatalities," added the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance."

He noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

A government source said that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and controlling UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting an apology from the South American nation's government.

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

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

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

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