Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Hired by UK-Registered Firms

Situated close to the shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in London lies a squat, nondescript block of flats. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a dark reality: a cramped flat linked to murderous crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in the capital is connected to a international network of firms involved in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside militias accused of myriad war crimes and genocide.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of civilians.

These contractors were key participants in the RSF's capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

As reports of atrocities mount, links have been found between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Company

The flat in Tottenham is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals named and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in records at the UK company registry as living in Britain.

The firm is active. The following day the United States announced sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the centre of central London. Its updated address matches one five-star hotel in a central district.

Both hotels said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had listed their postcodes.

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

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Analysts say the situation raises questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, torture and assault" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When asked about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not comment on whether it had awareness of the company's operations or verify the residency status of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Headed 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 based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US alleges this individual of having a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His spouse was also penalized for running the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a company accused of handling funds and payroll for the operation employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals set up a company in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering over 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

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

Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for drones.

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 daily fatalities," added the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance."

He noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a UK company highlighted 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 deals with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said.

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

A government source stated that the recent introduction 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, prompting an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

One of the mercenaries 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 connected to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an halt to violence, the protection of civilians, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access."

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