Colombian Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies

Situated close to a gleaming soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a plain, unremarkable block of flats. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork exists a grim reality: a small second-floor apartment connected to deadly atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a international web of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Former South American Soldiers Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While reports of violence increase, connections have been identified between the mercenaries contracted to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Company

The flat in Tottenham is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for hiring contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are listed in records at the UK company registry as living in the United Kingdom.

The company is operational. The following day the United States announced sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

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

"It is of major concern that the primary figures the US government claims are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in north London," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Oversight

Analysts argue the situation highlights questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a firm in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and assault" following the group’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 comment on whether it had awareness of the company's operations or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its website, created in May, was labelled as "being built" with no contact details.

Operation Headed by Retired Officer

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

The US accuses this individual of having a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the firm.

Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the operation employing the mercenaries.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of this year, the sanctioned individuals set up a firm in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the site was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

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

The two list the UK as their "country of residence".

Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft proved instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," added the analyst. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do deals with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

A government source said that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and running UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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