Colombian Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies

Situated near the gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a plain, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its unremarkable facade exists a dark secret: a cramped flat connected to deadly atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a international network of firms involved in the mass hiring of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside militias charged of myriad war crimes and genocide.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of civilians.

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 experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

As accounts of violence mount, links have been found between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

UK Address Connected to Censured Company

The flat in north London is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and penalized recently by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

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

The company remains active. The following day the United States announced restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of London. Its new postcode matches one five-star hotel in a central district.

Both hotels said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had used their addresses.

"This is of major concern that the key individuals the US government claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Checks

Analysts argue the saga raises 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, abuse and assault" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or verify the location of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details.

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 retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a company accused of handling funds and salaries for the network employing the mercenaries.

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

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

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

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

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a key controller.

Both describe Britain as their "country of residence".

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the war, experts state. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for drones.

These drones were key in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," added the analyst. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a significant part of this outside support."

He added that the involvement of penalized persons in a UK company underlined wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do deals with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing and controlling UK companies.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an apology from the South American nation's government.

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 connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access."

They added that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.