🔗 Share this article Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies Situated close to a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a squat, nondescript apartment building. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a grim reality: a small second-floor apartment linked to murderous atrocities unfolding thousands of miles to the south. According to British official documents, this apartment in the capital is connected to a international web of firms involved in the mass hiring of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside militias accused of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing. Hundreds of Former 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 killing of women and children. Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives. While accounts of atrocities increase, connections have been found between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London. London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm The flat in north London is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and penalized last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF. Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are described in documents at the UK company registry as living in the United Kingdom. The company remains active. The following day the United States announced restrictions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of London. Its updated address matches a luxury accommodation in Covent Garden. Both hotels said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had listed their addresses. "It is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in the capital," said an expert, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan. Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks Experts say the situation raises questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a firm in the UK capital. The UK's top diplomat 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, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals. Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details. Operation Headed by Former Soldier Per the US treasury, the figure 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 deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the agency. Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a company accused of handling funds and salaries for the network employing the Colombian fighters. "During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted many bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement said. Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence In spring of this year, the sanctioned individuals set up a company in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was handed over to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher. The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a key controller. The two list the UK as their "place of residency". Effect on the War and Broader Concerns The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft. These aircraft proved instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing daily civilian deaths," added the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance." He noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a London firm underlined wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when companies are set up. "Owning a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said. Official Reaction and Continuing Claims A government source said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and running UK firms. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an expression of regret 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 UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations. A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery." They added that the UK had also sanctioned RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.
Situated close to a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a squat, nondescript apartment building. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a grim reality: a small second-floor apartment linked to murderous atrocities unfolding thousands of miles to the south. According to British official documents, this apartment in the capital is connected to a international web of firms involved in the mass hiring of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside militias accused of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing. Hundreds of Former 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 killing of women and children. Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives. While accounts of atrocities increase, connections have been found between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London. London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm The flat in north London is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and penalized last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF. Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are described in documents at the UK company registry as living in the United Kingdom. The company remains active. The following day the United States announced restrictions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of London. Its updated address matches a luxury accommodation in Covent Garden. Both hotels said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had listed their addresses. "It is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in the capital," said an expert, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan. Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks Experts say the situation raises questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a firm in the UK capital. The UK's top diplomat 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, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals. Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details. Operation Headed by Former Soldier Per the US treasury, the figure 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 deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the agency. Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a company accused of handling funds and salaries for the network employing the Colombian fighters. "During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted many bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement said. Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence In spring of this year, the sanctioned individuals set up a company in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was handed over to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher. The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a key controller. The two list the UK as their "place of residency". Effect on the War and Broader Concerns The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft. These aircraft proved instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing daily civilian deaths," added the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance." He noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a London firm underlined wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when companies are set up. "Owning a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said. Official Reaction and Continuing Claims A government source said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and running UK firms. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an expression of regret 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 UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations. A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery." They added that the UK had also sanctioned RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.