Colombian Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Hired by UK-Registered Firms

Situated near the shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London lies a plain, nondescript block of flats. Behind its unremarkable facade exists a grim secret: a cramped flat linked to deadly crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a international network of companies involved in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of civilians.

These contractors were directly involved in the RSF's capture of the 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 accounts of atrocities increase, links have been identified between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

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

The firm is operational. The day after the United States imposed sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode matches a luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

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

"This is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Analysts argue the situation raises concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the British capital.

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

When asked about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or confirm the location of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, created in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with no contact details.

Operation Headed by Retired Officer

Per the American authorities, the figure at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the Gulf state.

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

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a business alleged of processing money and payroll for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

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

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

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

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

Both describe the UK as their "country of residence".

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft were key in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," 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 noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for bad actors 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.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers 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 expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

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

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an halt to violence, the protection of civilians, and the removal of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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