Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by British-Based Companies

Tucked away close to the shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in London is a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork lies a dark reality: a small second-floor apartment linked to deadly atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in the capital is tied to a international network of firms implicated in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside militias accused of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Former Colombian Military Enlisted

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that experts believe has cost at least 60,000 lives.

As accounts of violence increase, links have been found between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Censured Firm

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in records at the UK company registry as resident in Britain.

The firm is operational. The following day the United States imposed sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of London. Its updated address matches one luxury accommodation in a central district.

Both hotels stated they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had used their addresses.

"It is of major concern that the key individuals the American authorities states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in north London," said an expert, a analyst and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight

Experts argue the situation raises questions over how people 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 assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

When questioned about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not respond on whether it had awareness of the company's activities or verify the location of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz was unsuccessful; its online site, set up in May, was labelled as "being built" with no contact details.

Network Led by Retired Officer

According to the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries 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 Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also penalized for running the firm.

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

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In spring of this year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the site was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one named as a person of "significant control".

Both list the UK as their "country of residence".

Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These drones proved 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 analyst. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance."

He added that the participation of penalized persons in a UK company underlined wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when firms are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK companies.

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 seen combat in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A report alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is demanding an halt to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the removal of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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