Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies

Situated close to the gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London lies a plain, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its ordinary facade exists a grim secret: a cramped second-floor apartment linked to murderous crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in the capital is tied to a transnational web of companies implicated in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of women and children.

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

While reports of atrocities mount, connections have been found between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Censured Company

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals named and penalized last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in records at Companies House as living in Britain.

The firm is active. The day after the US treasury imposed restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its updated address matches a luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

Both hotels stated they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had listed their postcodes.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities states are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," stated an expert, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Oversight

Experts argue the situation raises concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the UK capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and sexual violence" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide.

When asked about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or confirm the residency status of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, created in May, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Network Led by Retired Officer

Per the American authorities, the figure at the heart 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 central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm.

Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the network employing the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In April of this year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

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

The penalized people are listed in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one named as a key controller.

The two describe Britain as their "place of residency".

Effect on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the war, experts state. These nationals have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These drones were instrumental 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 fatalities," added the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this outside support."

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

"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 said.

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 setting up and controlling UK companies.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an halt to atrocities, the protection of civilians, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery."

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