Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan Allegedly Recruited by UK-Registered Firms

Tucked away close to the gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London is a plain, nondescript block of flats. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a dark reality: a small flat linked to deadly crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a international web of companies implicated in the mass hiring of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants 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, links have been found between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Censured Company

The flat in Tottenham is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and penalized last week by the American authorities for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are described in documents at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The company is active. The day after the United States imposed sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of London. Its updated address corresponds to one luxury accommodation in a central district.

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

"It is of major concern that the key individuals the US government states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," stated an expert, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Checks

Analysts say the situation raises concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a company in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, torture and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When questioned about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had awareness of the company's operations or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz was unsuccessful; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Operation Led by Former Soldier

According to the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US alleges this individual of playing a key part in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a business alleged of processing money and payroll for the network employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual conducted many wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control".

Both describe Britain as their "country of residence".

Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the course of the war, experts state. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft proved key in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," said the expert. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance."

He added that the involvement of penalized persons in a London firm underlined wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when firms are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A UK official said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK companies.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

One of the fighters recently confirmed that he had instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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