Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies

Tucked away near a shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a squat, nondescript apartment building. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a grim reality: a small second-floor apartment linked to deadly atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a international web of firms involved in the large-scale hiring of fighters to combat in the African nation alongside militias charged of numerous war crimes and genocide.

Hundreds of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

While accounts of violence mount, links have been found between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in Tottenham is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and penalized recently by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in documents at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The firm remains active. The day after the United States imposed restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

Both hotels said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had used their addresses.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in north London," said an expert, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight

Experts say the saga highlights questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the UK capital.

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

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

Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Network Headed by Former Soldier

According to the American authorities, the figure at the centre 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 key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for running the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a company alleged of handling funds and salaries for the network employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in numerous bank transactions, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

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

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

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 profound impact on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and pilots for drones.

These aircraft were instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing daily fatalities," said the expert. "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 penalized persons in a London firm underlined wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when firms are set up.

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

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK companies.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

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

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery."

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