Colombian Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Hired by UK-Registered Firms

Situated near a gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in London is a squat, nondescript apartment building. Behind its ordinary facade lies a grim secret: a small flat linked to deadly atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a transnational web of firms involved in the mass hiring of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Recruited

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of civilians.

These contractors were key participants in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has cost at least 60,000 lives.

As accounts of atrocities increase, links have been found between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

UK Address Connected to Censured Company

The apartment in north London is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and penalized recently by the American authorities for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – 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 day after the United States imposed restrictions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of central London. Its updated address corresponds to one luxury accommodation in a central district.

The establishments in question said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had used their postcodes.

"This is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities states are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," said an expert, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Analysts argue the situation highlights questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and sexual violence" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

When questioned about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or verify the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, created in spring, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

According to the American authorities, the figure at the centre 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 playing a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for running the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a company alleged of processing money and salaries for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of this year, the penalized figures registered a company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

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

The penalized people are listed in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a key controller.

Both list the UK as their "country of residence".

Effect on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for drones.

These aircraft proved key in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing daily civilian deaths," added the expert. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support."

He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do deals with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official said that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and running UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying 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 atrocities, the protection of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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