Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies

Tucked away near the shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London lies a squat, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its ordinary facade lies a grim reality: a cramped flat connected to deadly crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in north London is tied to a international network of companies involved in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Recruited

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of civilians.

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

As accounts of violence increase, links have been identified between the mercenaries contracted to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

UK Address Connected to Sanctioned Company

The flat in Tottenham is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as resident in Britain.

The firm remains operational. The following day the United States imposed sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of London. Its updated address matches a luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

Both hotels stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had listed their addresses.

"It is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," said an expert, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight

Experts say the saga highlights concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the UK capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured 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 knowledge of the company's activities or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its website, set up in May, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Led by Retired Officer

Per the US treasury, the man at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the Gulf state.

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

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a business accused of processing money and salaries for the operation hiring the mercenaries.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual engaged in many bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals set up a company in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the camp was handed over to the hired fighters, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in Companies House records as owning "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one named as a key controller.

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

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

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

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," said the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance."

He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with respectable entities. It's still harder 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 new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A report alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the removal of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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