Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by British-Based Firms

Tucked away close to a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital is a plain, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork lies a dark reality: a small second-floor apartment linked to deadly crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south.

According to British official documents, this apartment in the capital is tied to a transnational web of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic killing of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

As reports of atrocities mount, links have been identified between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Censured Firm

The flat in Tottenham is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and penalized recently by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as living in Britain.

The firm remains active. The following day the United States imposed restrictions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of London. Its new postcode matches one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had listed their postcodes.

"It is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks

Experts say the saga highlights concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and sexual violence" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s activities or verify the residency status of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, created in spring, was labelled as "being built" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

According to the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of playing a key part in recruiting ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for running the agency.

Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a business alleged of processing money and salaries for the operation employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

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

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

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

The two describe Britain as their "country of residence".

Impact on the War and Wider Issues

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

These drones proved instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and long-range drones 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 outside support."

He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted broader concerns over the absence of strict vetting when firms are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do business with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A UK official stated that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" 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, prompting 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 UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals supplying 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 halt to atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery."

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