Colombian Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Recruited by British-Based Firms

Situated close to the shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a squat, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its ordinary facade lies a grim reality: a small flat linked to murderous crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in the capital is connected to a transnational web of firms implicated in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Enlisted

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic killing of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has cost over 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence increase, links have been found between the mercenaries contracted to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Censured Company

The apartment in north London is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

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

The firm is operational. The following day the US treasury announced sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode matches a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

Both hotels stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had listed their postcodes.

"It is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Oversight

Experts argue the situation raises questions over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, torture and sexual violence" 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 comment on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals.

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

Operation Led by Retired Officer

According to the US treasury, the man at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US alleges this individual of playing a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for running the firm.

Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a company alleged of handling funds and salaries for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

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

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, killing more than 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the firm, with one identified as a key controller.

The two describe the UK as their "country of residence".

Effect on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the war, experts state. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for drones.

These drones were key in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.

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

He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do deals with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A government source stated that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected 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 atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

They added that the UK had also sanctioned RSF commanders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.