Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by British-Based Firms

Situated near a shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in the British capital is a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its unremarkable facade exists a grim reality: a cramped flat linked to murderous crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in the capital is connected to a transnational network of companies implicated in the mass hiring of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside militias charged of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Former Colombian Military Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of civilians.

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

While accounts of violence mount, connections have been found between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned 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 American authorities for hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

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

The firm remains operational. The following day the US treasury announced restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the centre of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

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

"It is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in north London," stated an expert, a analyst and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks

Analysts say the situation raises questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the UK capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and sexual violence" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or confirm the location of the penalized people.

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

Network Led by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the man at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a company accused of processing money and payroll for the operation employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

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

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the site was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

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

The two list 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 trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft were instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," added the expert. "These weapons require outside assistance 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 underlined wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK companies.

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

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

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery."

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