🔗 Share this article Colombian Contractors in Sudan Reportedly Hired by British-Based Firms Tucked away close to a shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London lies a plain, nondescript apartment building. Behind its ordinary facade exists a grim reality: a small flat linked to deadly crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south. According to UK government records, this apartment in the capital is tied to a transnational web of firms implicated in the large-scale hiring of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside militias charged of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of women and children. Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives. As accounts of violence increase, links have been found between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London. UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Firm The apartment in north London is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF. Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are described in documents at Companies House as living in Britain. The company is operational. The following day the United States announced restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its updated address matches a five-star hotel in Covent Garden. The establishments in question said they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had used their postcodes. "This is of major concern that the primary figures the US government states are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," said an expert, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan. Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight Experts say the saga highlights concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the UK capital. The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide. When questioned about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals. Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, set up in spring, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details. Network Headed by Retired Officer According to the US treasury, the figure at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the Gulf state. The US alleges this individual of playing a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for running the firm. Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a company alleged of processing money and payroll for the network hiring the Colombian fighters. "During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in numerous bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement said. Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence In spring of the current year, the penalized figures set up a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global. Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was transferred 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 company, with one identified as a person of "significant control". Both list the UK as their "place of residency". Effect on the War and Wider Issues The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, foot soldiers, instructors, and operators for drones. These aircraft proved key in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas. "The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," said the expert. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this outside support." He added that the involvement of penalized persons in a UK company underlined wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are set up. "Having a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do business with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated. Government Response and Ongoing Allegations A UK official stated that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and running UK firms. The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from the South American nation's government. One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher. The UAE, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations. A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access." They added that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF leaders for their role in the crimes in El Fasher.
Tucked away close to a shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London lies a plain, nondescript apartment building. Behind its ordinary facade exists a grim reality: a small flat linked to deadly crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south. According to UK government records, this apartment in the capital is tied to a transnational web of firms implicated in the large-scale hiring of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside militias charged of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of women and children. Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives. As accounts of violence increase, links have been found between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London. UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Firm The apartment in north London is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF. Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are described in documents at Companies House as living in Britain. The company is operational. The following day the United States announced restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its updated address matches a five-star hotel in Covent Garden. The establishments in question said they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had used their postcodes. "This is of major concern that the primary figures the US government states are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," said an expert, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan. Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight Experts say the saga highlights concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the UK capital. The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide. When questioned about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals. Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, set up in spring, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details. Network Headed by Retired Officer According to the US treasury, the figure at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the Gulf state. The US alleges this individual of playing a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for running the firm. Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a company alleged of processing money and payroll for the network hiring the Colombian fighters. "During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in numerous bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement said. Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence In spring of the current year, the penalized figures set up a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global. Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was transferred 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 company, with one identified as a person of "significant control". Both list the UK as their "place of residency". Effect on the War and Wider Issues The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, foot soldiers, instructors, and operators for drones. These aircraft proved key in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas. "The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," said the expert. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this outside support." He added that the involvement of penalized persons in a UK company underlined wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are set up. "Having a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do business with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated. Government Response and Ongoing Allegations A UK official stated that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and running UK firms. The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from the South American nation's government. One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher. The UAE, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations. A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access." They added that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF leaders for their role in the crimes in El Fasher.