Colombian Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Hired by British-Based Companies

Tucked away close to a shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in the British capital is a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its ordinary facade exists a dark reality: a cramped flat connected to murderous crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this apartment in the capital is connected to a transnational web of firms implicated in the mass hiring of fighters to combat in the African nation alongside militias accused of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While reports of violence mount, connections have been found between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in Tottenham is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals named and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in records at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The company remains operational. The day after the US treasury imposed sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

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

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in the capital," stated an expert, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks

Experts argue the saga raises concerns over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a firm in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and sexual violence" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about the company, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s activities or confirm the location of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz was unsuccessful; its website, set up in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with lacking information.

Network Headed by Former Soldier

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

The US accuses this individual of having a key part in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the agency.

Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a company accused of processing money and salaries for the network employing the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in Companies House records as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

The two describe Britain as their "country of residence".

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, foot soldiers, trainers, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These drones proved key in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

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

He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are established.

"Owning a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A government source said that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK firms.

The role of the South Americans 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 instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.

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

A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the protection of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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