Colombian Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Recruited by British-Based Companies

Situated near a gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a plain, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a dark reality: a small second-floor apartment linked to murderous atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this apartment in the capital is connected to a transnational web of companies involved in the large-scale hiring of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Former Colombian Military Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants 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.

While accounts of violence increase, links have been identified between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Censured Firm

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two people named and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are described 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 running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of central London. Its updated address corresponds to a five-star hotel in a central district.

Both hotels stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm 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 establish a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks

Experts argue the situation raises concerns over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a firm in the British capital.

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

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

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its website, created in spring, was labelled as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Led by Retired Officer

According to the US treasury, 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 Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of having a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for running the firm.

Another dual national was similarly censured for managing a company 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 bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

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

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

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

Both describe Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft proved key 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 long-range drones causing regular fatalities," said the expert. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this outside support."

He noted that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

"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 gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A government source said that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling UK firms.

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

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

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

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is demanding an halt to violence, the protection of civilians, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery."

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