Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies

Situated near a shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a plain, unremarkable block of flats. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork exists a grim reality: a small flat linked to deadly atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in north London is connected to a international network of firms involved in the mass hiring of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad war crimes and genocide.

Hundreds of Former Colombian Military Recruited

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the RSF's seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

As reports of atrocities increase, links have been found between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Connected to Censured Firm

The apartment in north London is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as resident in Britain.

The firm is operational. The following day the United States imposed restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its updated address corresponds to one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

Both hotels stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had listed their addresses.

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

Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks

Analysts argue the situation highlights questions over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and sexual violence" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not comment on whether it had awareness of the company's operations or verify the residency status of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz was unsuccessful; its online site, set up in May, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Network Headed by Retired Officer

According to the American authorities, the man at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer based in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of playing a central role in recruiting ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for running the agency.

Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a business alleged of handling funds and payroll for the network employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was handed over to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in official UK documents 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 Conflict and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and pilots for drones.

These drones proved key in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.

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

He noted that the participation of penalized persons in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when companies are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

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

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an apology from the South American nation's government.

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

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the protection of civilians, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery."

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