Colombian Contractors in Sudan Reportedly Hired by British-Based Firms

Tucked away near a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London is a squat, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its ordinary facade lies a grim reality: a cramped flat connected to deadly atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a international network of firms implicated in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside militias charged of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of civilians.

These contractors were key participants in the RSF's capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

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

UK Address Linked to Censured Company

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and penalized recently by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as resident in Britain.

The company is operational. The day after the United States announced restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of central London. Its new postcode matches a luxury accommodation in a central district.

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

"It is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government claims are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight

Experts say the situation raises concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a company in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and sexual violence" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When questioned about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or confirm the location of the penalized people.

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

Network Headed by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the man at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of playing a key part in recruiting ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a company alleged of processing money and payroll for the network employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In April of this year, the sanctioned individuals set up a company in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

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

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

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

Effect on the War and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the war, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft were key in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and long-range drones 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 noted that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when companies are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

A government source stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling UK firms.

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

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

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals providing Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

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

They noted that the UK had also sanctioned RSF commanders for their role in the crimes in El Fasher.