Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Hired by British-Based Firms

Tucked away close to a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its ordinary facade exists a dark secret: a cramped flat linked to deadly atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in the capital is connected to a transnational web of companies involved in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Former South American Soldiers Recruited

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of women and children.

These contractors were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives.

While accounts of violence increase, links have been found between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

UK Address Linked to Censured Company

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

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

The company remains active. The day after the United States announced sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of London. Its updated address matches a five-star hotel in a central district.

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

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in north London," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Analysts say the situation raises concerns over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and assault" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide.

When questioned about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not respond on whether it had awareness of the company's operations or verify the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz was unsuccessful; its online site, created in May, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Led by Former Soldier

Per the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer based in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of having a key part in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a business accused of processing money and salaries for the network employing the mercenaries.

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

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals set up a firm in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

The two describe Britain as their "place of residency".

Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These drones were key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily civilian deaths," said the expert. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance."

He added that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when companies are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do business 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 UK official said that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and controlling UK companies.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting 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, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery."

They added that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF commanders for their role in the crimes in El Fasher.