Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan Allegedly Recruited by British-Based Firms

Tucked away near the shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital is a squat, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its ordinary facade exists a dark reality: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to deadly atrocities unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this apartment in the capital is tied to a international web of companies implicated in the large-scale hiring of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Enlisted

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia 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 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 analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives.

As reports of atrocities mount, connections have been found between the mercenaries contracted to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Company

The flat in north London is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

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

The company is active. The day after the United States announced sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the centre of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question 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 US government claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in north London," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Analysts say the situation highlights questions over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the UK capital.

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

When questioned about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the company's activities or verify the residency status of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, set up in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with no contact details.

Network Led by Retired Officer

Per the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US alleges this individual of having a central role in recruiting ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for owning and managing the agency.

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

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual engaged in numerous bank transactions, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In spring of this year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a key controller.

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

Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the war, experts state. These nationals have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

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

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing daily fatalities," said the analyst. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support."

He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport 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 stated.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A government source said that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running 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 arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery."

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