Colombian Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies

Tucked away near the shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in the British capital is a plain, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its ordinary facade lies a grim secret: a small second-floor apartment connected to murderous crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to UK government records, this apartment in the capital is tied to a transnational web of companies implicated in the large-scale hiring of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside militias accused of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives.

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

London Flat Connected to Censured Company

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in records at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The company remains active. The day after the US treasury imposed restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its updated address corresponds to a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had listed their postcodes.

"This is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Analysts argue the saga raises concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a company in the UK capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, torture 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, Companies House did not comment on whether it had awareness of the company's operations or confirm the residency status of the penalized people.

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

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 retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a business alleged of handling funds and salaries for the network employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of the current year, the penalized figures registered a company in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing over 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are listed in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control".

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

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the war, experts state. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, foot soldiers, trainers, and pilots for drones.

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

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," said the analyst. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this outside support."

He added that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do deals with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A government source said that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

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

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is demanding an halt to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the removal of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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