Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by British-Based Companies

Situated near the gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London lies a plain, nondescript apartment building. Behind its ordinary facade exists a grim reality: a cramped second-floor apartment linked to murderous atrocities unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in north London is tied to a international web of companies involved in the mass recruitment of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous war crimes and genocide.

Hundreds of Former Colombian Military Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of women and children.

These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives.

As accounts of atrocities mount, connections have been found between the mercenaries contracted to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Censured Firm

The apartment in north London is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are described in records at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom.

The firm remains operational. The following day the United States announced restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of London. Its updated address matches one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

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

"It is of major concern that the primary figures the US government states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Analysts say the situation highlights questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and sexual violence" following the faction's seizure 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 awareness of the firm’s operations or confirm the location of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Headed by Retired Officer

Per the American authorities, the man at the centre 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 playing a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for running the firm.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for overseeing a company alleged of handling funds and salaries for the operation hiring the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

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

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing more than 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are listed in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one identified as a key controller.

The two describe Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

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

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

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," said the analyst. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance."

He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when companies are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A government source said that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an apology from the South American nation's government.

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

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation 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 British government spokesperson said: "The UK is demanding an halt to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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