Colombian Contractors in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies

Situated close to the shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in London lies a squat, unremarkable block of flats. Beyond its unremarkable facade lies a grim reality: a small second-floor apartment linked to deadly crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in north London is tied to a international web of companies involved in the mass hiring of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside militias charged of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic killing of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a killing frenzy that experts believe has cost at least 60,000 lives.

As accounts of violence increase, links have been found between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The apartment in north London is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and penalized last week by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in documents at Companies House as living in Britain.

The company is active. The following day the United States announced restrictions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of central London. Its updated address matches one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

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

"This is of major concern that the key individuals the US government claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Checks

Analysts argue the situation raises questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a firm in the British capital.

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

When asked about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the company's operations or confirm the residency status of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its website, set up in spring, was labelled as "being built" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Former Soldier

According to the US treasury, the figure 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 alleges this individual of having a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a company alleged of handling funds and payroll for the operation hiring the mercenaries.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

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

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

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

The two describe the UK as their "country of residence".

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for drones.

These aircraft were key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," said the expert. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when companies are set up.

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

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A UK official said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and controlling UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

One of the mercenaries recently admitted 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 linked to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery."

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