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

Situated near the shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in London is a plain, nondescript block of flats. Behind its ordinary facade exists a dark secret: a cramped flat connected to murderous atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this apartment in north London is connected to a international network of companies implicated in the mass hiring of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside militias charged of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Former South American Soldiers Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the RSF's capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

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

London Flat Connected to Censured Firm

The flat in north London is registered to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

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

The company remains active. The following day the US treasury announced restrictions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of London. Its updated address matches a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

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

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in the capital," said an expert, a researcher and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Analysts say the saga highlights questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When asked about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or verify the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information.

Network Led by Retired Officer

According to the American authorities, the figure at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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

Another dual national was similarly censured for managing a company alleged of processing money and payroll for the network employing the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted many bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In April of the current year, the penalized figures set up a company in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

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

The penalized people are named in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control".

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

Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the war, experts state. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft were key in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing daily civilian deaths," said the analyst. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance."

He added that the participation of penalized persons in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do deals with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A government source stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an apology 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 United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the removal of obstacles to aid delivery."

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