Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Hired by British-Based Firms

Tucked away near a gleaming soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a plain, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable facade lies a dark reality: a cramped flat linked to deadly crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this apartment in north London is connected to a transnational network of companies implicated in the large-scale hiring of fighters to combat in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of civilians.

These contractors were key participants in the RSF's seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

While reports of atrocities increase, links have been identified between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Censured Firm

The apartment in north London is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals named and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in documents at the UK company registry as resident in Britain.

The firm remains active. The day after the US treasury announced sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode matches a luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had listed their addresses.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Checks

Analysts argue the situation raises concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the UK 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 confirm the location of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, created in May, was labelled as "under construction" with no contact details.

Network Led by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the man at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of having a key part in recruiting ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a company accused of processing money and payroll for the network hiring the mercenaries.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In spring of this year, the penalized figures set up a firm in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

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

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

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the war, experts state. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft proved key 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 long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," said the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance."

He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

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

Government Response and Continuing Claims

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

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

One of the mercenaries recently admitted 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 report alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

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

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