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

Situated near a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a plain, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable facade lies a grim reality: a small second-floor apartment linked to murderous atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a international network of companies involved in the mass hiring of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside militias accused of myriad atrocities and genocide.

Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of civilians.

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has cost over 60,000 lives.

While reports of atrocities increase, connections have been found between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Linked to Censured Firm

The apartment in north London is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and sanctioned recently by the American authorities for hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as living in the United Kingdom.

The company is active. The day after the United States announced sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of London. Its updated address corresponds to a five-star hotel in a central district.

Both hotels stated they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had listed their addresses.

"It is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks

Experts argue the saga highlights concerns over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently 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 charged by the US with genocide.

When questioned about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s activities or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its website, set up in May, was labelled as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Led by Retired Officer

Per the US treasury, the figure at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer located in the Gulf state.

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

Another dual national was also sanctioned for managing a company accused of processing money and salaries for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals set up a firm in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, 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 penalized people are named in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

Both list the UK as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft proved key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," said the analyst. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He added that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when companies are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official said that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and controlling UK companies.

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

One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is demanding an halt to violence, the safety of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery."

They noted that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF commanders for their role in the crimes in El Fasher.