Colombian Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies

Tucked away close to a shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in the British capital is a squat, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its unremarkable facade exists a dark secret: a small flat connected to murderous atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to UK government records, this apartment in north London is tied to a transnational network of firms implicated in the mass hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives.

While accounts of violence mount, links have been identified between the mercenaries contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Connected to Censured Firm

The flat in north London is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and sanctioned recently by the American authorities for hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in documents at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The company is operational. The day after the US treasury announced sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address 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 firm had used their addresses.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the US government claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in north London," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Oversight

Analysts argue the situation highlights concerns over how individuals openly censured by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the British capital.

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

When questioned about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had awareness of the company's operations or verify the residency status of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, created in May, was labelled as "being built" with no contact details.

Operation Headed by Former Soldier

According to the American authorities, the man 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 accuses this individual of playing a key part in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the firm.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for overseeing a company alleged of handling funds and salaries for the network employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual engaged in many bank transactions, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

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

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

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

The two list the UK as their "place of residency".

Impact on the War and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for drones.

These drones proved instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," added the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this outside support."

He noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a UK company underlined wider worries over the absence 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 establish a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A government source said that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK companies.

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

One of the fighters recently confirmed 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 Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery."

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