Colombian Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Recruited by British-Based Companies

Situated close to a shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a plain, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a dark secret: a small second-floor apartment linked 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 web of companies implicated in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of women and children.

These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has cost over 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence increase, connections have been found between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Company

The flat in Tottenham is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and penalized last week by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in documents at Companies House as living in Britain.

The company remains active. The day after the United States announced sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of London. Its updated address matches one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

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

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the US government states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a apartment in north London," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Analysts argue the saga highlights questions over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a firm in the British capital.

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

When questioned about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or confirm the residency status of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Network Led by Retired Officer

Per the American authorities, the man at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a company alleged of processing money and salaries for the network employing the mercenaries.

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

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In spring of this year, the penalized figures set up a firm in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was handed over to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

Both describe the UK as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, foot soldiers, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft were instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

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

He noted that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks 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 harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

A UK official said that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and controlling UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an apology from the South American nation's government.

One of the mercenaries recently confirmed that he had trained children in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals providing Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access."

They noted that the UK had also sanctioned RSF leaders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.