Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Hired by British-Based Firms

Tucked away near a shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a plain, nondescript apartment building. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork exists a grim secret: a small second-floor apartment linked to murderous atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.

Per British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a international web of firms implicated in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to combat in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Recruited

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the RSF's capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence mount, connections have been found between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

London Flat Linked to Censured Firm

The apartment in north London is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and penalized last week by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are listed in records at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The company remains operational. The day after the United States announced sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of London. Its new postcode corresponds to a luxury accommodation in a central district.

The establishments in question stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had used their postcodes.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities claims are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," said an expert, a researcher and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

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

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and sexual violence" 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 comment on whether it had awareness of the company's activities or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Network Led by Former Soldier

According to the American authorities, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army 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 Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a business accused of handling funds and salaries for the network employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In April of the current year, the penalized figures registered a company in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

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

Both list Britain as their "country of residence".

Effect on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for drones.

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

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and long-range drones 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 noted that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A government source said that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and controlling UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light 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 fought in El Fasher.

The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an halt to atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery."

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