Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Hired by British-Based Companies

Tucked away near a shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a plain, unremarkable block of flats. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork exists a grim reality: a small flat connected to deadly crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a international web of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside militias charged of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the RSF's capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

As accounts of atrocities increase, links have been identified between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Censured Firm

The flat in north London is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and penalized recently by the US treasury for hiring contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in records at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom.

The company is active. The day after the US treasury announced sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of London. Its new postcode corresponds to a luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

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

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities states are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Oversight

Experts say the situation raises questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the UK capital.

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

When asked about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had awareness of the company's operations or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details.

Operation Led by Former Soldier

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

The US alleges this individual of playing a central role in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for running the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a company accused of processing money and payroll for the network employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted many bank transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the penalized figures registered a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 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 company, with one named as a key controller.

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

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for drones.

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

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing daily civilian deaths," said 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 penalized persons in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when firms are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and running UK firms.

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

One of the mercenaries recently confirmed that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.

The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access."

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