Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Recruited by UK-Registered Firms

Situated near a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London is a plain, nondescript apartment building. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork exists a grim reality: a cramped flat connected to deadly atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a transnational network of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of civilians.

These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that experts believe has cost over 60,000 lives.

As accounts of violence mount, connections have been identified between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in north London 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 50s – are described in documents at Companies House as living in Britain.

The company remains operational. The following day the United States imposed restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of central London. Its updated address corresponds to one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

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

"It is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," stated an expert, a analyst and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks

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

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, torture and sexual violence" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s activities or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz was unsuccessful; its website, set up in spring, was labelled as "being built" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the figure at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for running the firm.

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

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in numerous bank transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals set up a company in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

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

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

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, experts state. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft proved instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," added the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support."

He noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a UK company underlined wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are established.

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

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A government source said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing and controlling UK companies.

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

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 arming 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 British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access."

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