Colombian Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Recruited by British-Based Companies

Tucked away near the gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a squat, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork exists a grim secret: a small second-floor apartment linked to deadly atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in north London is tied to a transnational web of companies involved in the mass recruitment of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted

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

These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While accounts of violence mount, connections have been identified between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

UK Address Connected to Sanctioned Company

The flat in Tottenham is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and penalized last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in documents at the UK company registry as living in the United Kingdom.

The firm remains operational. The following day the United States imposed restrictions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of central London. Its new postcode matches a luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had used their addresses.

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Experts say the situation raises concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, torture and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide.

When questioned about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or confirm the location 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 Retired Officer

According to the American authorities, the man at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US alleges this individual of having a key part in recruiting ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His spouse was also penalized for running the agency.

Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a business alleged of handling funds and payroll for the network hiring the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual engaged in many bank transactions, totalling many 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 named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one identified as a key controller.

The two describe the UK as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for drones.

These drones proved instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.

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

He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A government source stated that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK companies.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

One of the fighters recently admitted that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat 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 providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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