Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies

Tucked away close to the gleaming soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork exists a dark secret: a small flat linked to deadly crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in the capital is tied to a international web of firms involved in the mass hiring of mercenaries to combat in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the RSF's seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

As reports of atrocities increase, connections have been identified between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Connected to Censured Company

The flat in Tottenham is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in documents at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The firm is operational. The day after the US treasury announced restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode matches one five-star hotel in a central district.

The establishments in question stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had used their addresses.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the US government claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Oversight

Experts argue the situation raises questions over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the conflict 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 "systematic killings, abuse and sexual violence" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide.

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

Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Operation Headed by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the man at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based 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 Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for running the firm.

Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a company accused of handling funds and payroll for the network hiring the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in numerous bank transactions, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered 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, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was transferred to the hired fighters, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are listed in Companies House records as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one named as a person of "significant control".

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

Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for drones.

These drones proved key in the capture 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 civilian deaths," added the expert. "These systems 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 London firm highlighted broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official said that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

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

The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is demanding an halt to atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access."

They noted that the UK had recently imposed restrictions on RSF commanders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.