Colombian Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Hired by British-Based Firms

Tucked away close to a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital is a squat, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable facade lies a dark reality: a small second-floor apartment connected to murderous crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in north London is tied to a transnational network of companies implicated in the mass recruitment of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside militias accused of numerous war crimes and genocide.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of civilians.

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

While reports of atrocities mount, links have been identified between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in north London is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and penalized recently by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in documents at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The firm remains active. The day after the US treasury imposed sanctions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of London. Its new postcode 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 used their postcodes.

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Experts say the saga 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 UK capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and sexual violence" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

When questioned about Zeuz Global, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or verify the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its website, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details.

Operation Led by Former Soldier

According to the US treasury, the man at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of playing a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed 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 managing a business accused of processing money and payroll for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted many bank transactions, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the penalized figures set up a firm in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

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

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

Impact on the War and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, experts state. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, 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 long-range drones causing daily civilian deaths," said the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a significant part of this outside support."

He added that the participation of penalized persons in a London firm underlined wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when firms are set up.

"Having 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 gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

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

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

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

The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery."

They added that the UK had recently imposed restrictions on RSF commanders for their role in the crimes in El Fasher.