Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies

Tucked away close to a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a plain, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a grim secret: a cramped flat connected to deadly crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a transnational web of firms implicated in the large-scale hiring of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad war crimes and genocide.

Hundreds of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of civilians.

These contractors were directly involved in the RSF's capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

As accounts of violence increase, connections have been identified between the mercenaries contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Censured Firm

The apartment in north London is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom.

The company is operational. The following day the United States announced sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the centre of London. Its updated address 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 used their postcodes.

"It is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in north London," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Experts say the saga raises questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the British capital.

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

When questioned about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had awareness of the company's activities or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information.

Operation Headed by Retired Officer

Per the American authorities, the figure at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer located in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of having a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His spouse was also penalized for running the firm.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for managing a business alleged of handling funds and salaries for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted many bank transactions, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

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

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in Companies House records as owning "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a key controller.

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

Effect on the War and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These drones were key 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 remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," added the expert. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance."

He noted that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official said that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and running UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting 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 linked to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the safety of civilians, and the removal of obstacles to aid delivery."

They noted that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF commanders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.