Colombian Contractors in Sudan Reportedly Hired by British-Based Firms

Tucked away near the gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in the British capital is a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork lies a grim reality: a small flat connected to murderous crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

According to UK government records, this apartment in north London is tied to a international web of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

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

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has cost at least 60,000 lives.

As reports of atrocities increase, links have been found between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

UK Address Connected to Sanctioned Company

The flat in north London is registered to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and sanctioned recently by the American authorities for hiring contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in records at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom.

The company is operational. The following day the US treasury imposed sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode matches one luxury accommodation in a central district.

Both hotels said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their postcodes.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," stated an expert, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight

Experts say the saga 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 firm in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, torture and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

When questioned about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, set up in May, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Network Led by Retired Officer

According to the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in recruiting ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the firm.

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

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

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

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

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one identified as a key controller.

Both list Britain as their "country of residence".

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

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 soldiers, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft were instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," added the expert. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance."

He added that the participation of penalized persons in a UK company underlined wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when companies are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do deals with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK companies.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

One of the fighters recently admitted that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to atrocities, the protection of civilians, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery."

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