Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Hired by British-Based Firms

Tucked away close to the gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London lies a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its unremarkable facade exists a dark reality: a small second-floor apartment linked to deadly crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is tied to a international web of companies implicated in the mass hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Former Colombian Military Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic killing of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the RSF's capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives.

As accounts of atrocities mount, links have been identified between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Company

The flat in north London is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in records at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The company is active. The day after the United States announced restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of London. Its updated address corresponds to a five-star hotel in a central district.

The establishments in question stated they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had used their addresses.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities states are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company operating from a apartment in north London," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Analysts say the situation raises questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a firm in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and sexual violence" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When asked about the company, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or verify the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, created in May, was labelled as "being built" with no contact details.

Network Led by Retired Officer

Per the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network 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 key part in recruiting ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for running the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a business alleged of processing money and salaries for the network hiring the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual engaged in numerous bank transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing over 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

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

Both list Britain as their "country of residence".

Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for drones.

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

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing daily civilian deaths," added the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support."

He noted that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the absence of strict vetting when firms are set up.

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

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A government source stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and controlling UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

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

The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access."

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