Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan Allegedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies

Tucked away near the gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital is a squat, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its ordinary facade lies a grim reality: a small second-floor apartment connected to deadly crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a transnational web of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside militias accused of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of women and children.

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

As reports of violence mount, connections have been identified between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

UK Address Connected to Sanctioned Firm

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and penalized recently by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

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

The firm is active. The day after the US treasury announced sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of central London. Its updated address corresponds to one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

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

"It is of serious worry that the key individuals the US government claims are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in the capital," said an expert, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Experts argue the situation raises questions over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has condemned 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 asked about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not comment on whether it had awareness of the company's activities or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its online site, set up in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the figure at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the firm.

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

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In April of this year, the penalized figures registered a firm in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the company, with one named as a person of "significant control".

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

Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for drones.

These drones proved key in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily fatalities," said the expert. "These systems 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 UK company highlighted wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when firms are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK companies.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an apology from the South American nation's government.

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

The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is demanding an halt to atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of obstacles to aid delivery."

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