Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies

Tucked away near the shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a squat, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable facade exists a grim secret: a cramped flat connected to deadly crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a transnational network of companies involved in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited 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 key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

While accounts of atrocities mount, links have been found between the mercenaries contracted to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

UK Address Linked to Censured Company

The flat in north London is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and penalized recently by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are described in records at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The firm is active. The day after the United States announced sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

Both hotels said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had listed their postcodes.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the US government claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in north London," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Analysts say the situation raises questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the British capital.

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

When asked about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or verify the location of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, created in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with no contact details.

Operation Led by Former Soldier

According to the US treasury, the man at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer located in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for running the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a company accused of handling funds and salaries for the operation hiring the Colombian fighters.

"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 said.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

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

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the camp was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in Companies House records as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control".

Both describe Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and pilots for drones.

These aircraft proved key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," added the analyst. "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 penalized persons in a London firm underlined wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

A government source stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling UK companies.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an apology from the South American nation's government.

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

The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an halt to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery."

They added that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.