Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Recruited by British-Based Firms

Tucked away close to a gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in London lies a plain, nondescript block of flats. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a dark reality: a small second-floor apartment connected to deadly atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in north London is tied to a transnational network of companies implicated in the large-scale hiring of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread killing of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the RSF's capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives.

While reports of atrocities mount, connections have been found between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Censured Company

The apartment in north London is registered to a company named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are described in documents at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom.

The company is active. The day after the United States announced restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of London. Its new postcode matches one luxury accommodation in a central district.

The establishments in question stated they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had listed their postcodes.

"This is of serious worry that the key individuals the US government claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in north London," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks

Experts say the situation raises concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the British capital.

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

When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s activities or confirm the residency status of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information.

Operation Headed by Retired Officer

Per the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of playing a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the firm.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for overseeing a company accused of processing money and salaries for the network hiring the Colombian fighters.

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

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

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

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the camp was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

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

The two list the UK 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 reportedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

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

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing daily fatalities," said the analyst. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He added that the participation of penalized persons in a London firm underlined wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when companies are established.

"Owning 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 Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and running UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the safety of civilians, and the removal of obstacles to aid delivery."

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