Colombian Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Recruited by UK-Registered Firms

Tucked away near a shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in the British capital is a squat, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its unremarkable facade exists a grim reality: a small second-floor apartment connected to deadly crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in north London is tied to a international network of firms involved in the large-scale hiring of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside militias charged of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of civilians.

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

As reports of violence mount, links have been identified between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

UK Address Connected to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in records at Companies House as living in Britain.

The firm 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 London. Its updated address matches one five-star hotel in a central district.

The establishments in question stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had listed their postcodes.

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government states are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," stated 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 people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the UK capital.

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

When questioned about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or verify the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

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

Operation Led by Retired Officer

Per the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of having a key part in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His spouse was also penalized for running the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a business alleged of processing money and payroll for the network hiring the Colombian fighters.

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

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

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

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in Companies House records as owning "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control".

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

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, trainers, and pilots for drones.

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

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," added the expert. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted broader concerns over the absence of strict vetting when firms are established.

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

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

A government source stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and running UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting 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 arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying fighters to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an halt to atrocities, the protection of civilians, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access."

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