Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Hired by British-Based Firms

Tucked away near the gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital is a plain, nondescript apartment building. Behind its ordinary facade lies a dark secret: a small flat connected to deadly crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a international network of companies involved in the mass recruitment of mercenaries to combat in the African nation alongside militias charged of myriad war crimes and genocide.

Hundreds of Former Colombian Military Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of civilians.

These contractors were directly involved in the RSF's capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence mount, links have been found between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

UK Address Connected to Censured Company

The apartment in north London is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and penalized recently by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in records at the UK company registry as resident in Britain.

The firm is operational. The day after the United States announced sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of central London. Its updated address matches one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

Both hotels stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had used their addresses.

"It is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a flat in north London," said an expert, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks

Analysts argue the saga raises questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a firm in the UK capital.

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

When questioned about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not respond on whether it had awareness of the company's activities or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved 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 man at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for running the firm.

Another dual national was similarly censured for managing a business alleged of handling funds and payroll for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted many wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

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

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing over 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the site was handed over to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control".

The two describe the UK as their "country of residence".

Effect on the War and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for drones.

These aircraft proved key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," added the expert. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this outside support."

He noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when firms are set up.

"Having 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 fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

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

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

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

The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the safety of civilians, and the removal of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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