Colombian Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies

Situated close to the gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in London lies a squat, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its ordinary facade lies a grim reality: a small second-floor apartment linked to deadly atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.

According to British official documents, this apartment in the capital is tied to a international network of firms implicated in the mass recruitment of mercenaries to combat in the African nation alongside militias charged of myriad atrocities and genocide.

Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Recruited

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has cost at least 60,000 lives.

While accounts of violence increase, links have been found between the mercenaries contracted to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

UK Address Connected to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in north London is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and sanctioned recently by the American authorities for hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as living in Britain.

The firm remains operational. The day after the US treasury imposed restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of central London. Its updated address matches one five-star hotel in a central district.

The establishments in question said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had listed their addresses.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the US government states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Checks

Experts argue the situation highlights questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, torture and sexual violence" following the faction'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 respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or verify the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

Per the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of playing a central role in recruiting ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a company accused of processing money and payroll for the network hiring the mercenaries.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted many bank transactions, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In spring of this year, the penalized figures registered a company 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 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was handed over to the hired fighters, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

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

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

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and operators for drones.

These aircraft proved key in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.

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

He added that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are established.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling UK firms.

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

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

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

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

They added that the UK had also sanctioned RSF leaders for their role in the crimes in El Fasher.