Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan Allegedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies
Situated near a gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital lies a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a grim secret: a small flat linked to murderous atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.
According to UK government records, this apartment in north London is tied to a transnational web of companies implicated in the mass hiring of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.
Hundreds 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 armed faction blamed for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of women and children.
These contractors were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, 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 capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.
UK Address Linked to Censured Firm
The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF.
Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are described in documents at the UK company registry as living in the United Kingdom.
The company is operational. The following day the United States imposed sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.
Both hotels stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had listed their addresses.
"It is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities states are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," said an expert, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.
Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks
Experts say the saga highlights concerns over how individuals openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the British capital.
The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and sexual violence" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.
When questioned about the company, Companies House did not respond on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.
Contacting Zeuz was unsuccessful; its website, set up in May, was labelled as "being built" with lacking information.
Operation Headed by Retired Officer
Per the US treasury, the figure at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state.
The US alleges this individual of playing a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the agency.
Another dual national was also sanctioned 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 conducted many wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.
Company Registration and Escalating Violence
In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals set up a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.
Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 civilians. 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 official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".
The two describe the UK as their "place of residency".
Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns
The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the war, experts state. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for drones.
These aircraft were key in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.
"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily civilian deaths," added the analyst. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support."
He added that the involvement of penalized persons in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when firms are set up.
"Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals 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.
Government Response and Ongoing Allegations
A government source said that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide greater assurance 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 Colombia’s foreign ministry.
One of the mercenaries recently confirmed that he had instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.
The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.
A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the safety of civilians, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery."
They added that the UK had also sanctioned RSF commanders for their role in the crimes in El Fasher.
