Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Firms

Tucked away near the shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in London is a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its unremarkable facade lies a grim reality: a small flat linked to murderous crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in north London is tied to a transnational network of companies involved in the large-scale hiring of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Former Colombian Military Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, 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 killing frenzy that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence mount, connections have been identified between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Censured Company

The flat in north London is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals named and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

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

The company remains operational. The day after the United States announced sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of London. Its updated address matches a luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had used their addresses.

"It is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a apartment in north London," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Experts argue the saga raises concerns over how individuals openly censured by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, torture and sexual violence" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s activities or confirm the residency status of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz was unsuccessful; its website, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details.

Network Headed by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His wife was also penalized for running the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a company alleged of handling funds and salaries for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in many bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a company in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

Both describe Britain as their "place of residency".

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for drones.

These aircraft were instrumental 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 long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," added the expert. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He added that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined broader concerns over the lack of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do deals with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A government source said that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and running UK companies.

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

One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the safety 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 role in the atrocities in El Fasher.