Colombian Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies

Tucked away close to a shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its ordinary facade lies a grim secret: a cramped flat linked to murderous atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a transnational web of companies implicated in the mass hiring of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of women and children.

These contractors were key participants in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence increase, connections have been found between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in Tottenham is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and penalized recently by the American authorities for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

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

The company is operational. The day after the US treasury imposed restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to a luxury accommodation in a central district.

The establishments in question said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had used their addresses.

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

Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks

Experts argue the saga highlights questions over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a firm in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and sexual violence" 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 knowledge of the firm’s operations or verify the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, created in May, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Operation 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 alleges this individual of having a central role in hiring 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 dual national was also sanctioned for managing a business accused of processing money and payroll for the network hiring the mercenaries.

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

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the site was handed over to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

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

The two describe the UK as their "place of residency".

Effect on the War and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the course of the war, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These drones were key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.

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

He noted that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company highlighted broader concerns over the absence of strict vetting when companies are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

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

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying 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 demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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