Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Recruited by British-Based Firms

Tucked away near a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital is a squat, nondescript block of flats. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a dark reality: a small flat connected to deadly atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a international network of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of women and children.

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While accounts of atrocities mount, connections have been found between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Censured Firm

The apartment in north London is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are described in records at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The company is operational. The day after the US treasury announced restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its updated address matches one five-star hotel in a central district.

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

"It is of serious worry that the key individuals the US government claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," said an expert, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks

Experts say the saga raises questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

When questioned about Zeuz Global, the registry did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or confirm the location of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its website, created in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with lacking information.

Network Headed by Retired Officer

Per the American authorities, the figure at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a company accused of handling funds and salaries for the network employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted many wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

The two describe the UK as their "country of residence".

Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for drones.

These aircraft were instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," added the expert. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this outside support."

He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are established.

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

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A government source said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting an apology from the South American nation's government.

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

The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is demanding an halt to atrocities, the protection of civilians, and the removal of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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