Colombian Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Recruited by British-Based Firms

Situated close to the gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in London is a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork lies a dark secret: a cramped second-floor apartment linked to murderous atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in the capital is tied to a transnational network of companies implicated in the large-scale hiring of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside militias accused of myriad atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread killing of women and children.

These contractors were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

While reports of atrocities increase, connections have been found between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Censured Firm

The flat in Tottenham is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are listed in records at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The firm is active. The day after the United States announced sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of central London. Its updated address matches a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

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

"This is of major concern that the key individuals the US government claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight

Analysts argue the situation raises concerns over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

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

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, created in spring, was labelled as "being built" with no contact details.

Network Led by Former Soldier

Per the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of playing a key part in recruiting ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a company accused of processing money and payroll for the operation employing the mercenaries.

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

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In April of the current year, the penalized figures registered a firm in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering over 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in Companies House records as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a key controller.

Both list Britain as their "place of residency".

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, experts state. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for drones.

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

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily fatalities," said the expert. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance."

He added that the involvement of penalized persons in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when companies are established.

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

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

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

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to 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 seen combat in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. 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 allegations.

A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an halt to violence, the safety of civilians, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery."

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