🔗 Share this article Colombian Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies Tucked away close to the gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a squat, nondescript block of flats. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a grim secret: a small flat linked to deadly crimes taking place a vast distance to the south. According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a international network of firms involved in the large-scale hiring of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Scores of Former South American Soldiers Recruited Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of women and children. Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has cost over 60,000 lives. As accounts of atrocities increase, connections have been identified between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London. UK Address Connected to Sanctioned Company The apartment in north London is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals named and penalized recently by the American authorities for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF. Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in records at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom. The firm remains operational. The day after the US treasury announced restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of central London. Its updated address matches a five-star hotel in Covent Garden. Both hotels said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their postcodes. "This is of major concern that the key individuals the American authorities claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan. Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight Experts say the situation raises questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the British capital. The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide. When questioned about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the company's activities or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals. Reaching out to Zeuz was unsuccessful; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with lacking information. Operation Headed by Former Soldier According to the American authorities, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The US accuses this individual of playing a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based 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. "During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in numerous bank transactions, totalling many millions of US dollars," the official announcement said. Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals set up a firm in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher. The sanctioned individuals are listed in Companies House records as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control". The two list the UK as their "place of residency". Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft. These drones proved instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas. "The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing daily civilian deaths," added the expert. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this outside support." He added that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are established. "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 establish a UK company," he stated. Government Response and Continuing Claims A UK official stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and controlling UK firms. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry. One of the fighters recently confirmed that he had instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher. The United Arab Emirates, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these claims. A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the safety of civilians, and the removal of obstacles to aid delivery." They noted that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF commanders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.
Tucked away close to the gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a squat, nondescript block of flats. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a grim secret: a small flat linked to deadly crimes taking place a vast distance to the south. According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a international network of firms involved in the large-scale hiring of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Scores of Former South American Soldiers Recruited Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of women and children. Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has cost over 60,000 lives. As accounts of atrocities increase, connections have been identified between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London. UK Address Connected to Sanctioned Company The apartment in north London is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals named and penalized recently by the American authorities for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF. Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in records at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom. The firm remains operational. The day after the US treasury announced restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of central London. Its updated address matches a five-star hotel in Covent Garden. Both hotels said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their postcodes. "This is of major concern that the key individuals the American authorities claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan. Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight Experts say the situation raises questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the British capital. The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide. When questioned about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the company's activities or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals. Reaching out to Zeuz was unsuccessful; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with lacking information. Operation Headed by Former Soldier According to the American authorities, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The US accuses this individual of playing a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based 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. "During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in numerous bank transactions, totalling many millions of US dollars," the official announcement said. Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals set up a firm in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher. The sanctioned individuals are listed in Companies House records as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control". The two list the UK as their "place of residency". Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft. These drones proved instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas. "The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing daily civilian deaths," added the expert. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this outside support." He added that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are established. "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 establish a UK company," he stated. Government Response and Continuing Claims A UK official stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and controlling UK firms. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry. One of the fighters recently confirmed that he had instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher. The United Arab Emirates, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these claims. A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the safety of civilians, and the removal of obstacles to aid delivery." They noted that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF commanders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.