Colombian Contractors in Sudan Reportedly Hired by British-Based Companies

Tucked away near the gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London lies a squat, unremarkable block of flats. Beyond its unremarkable facade exists a dark reality: a cramped second-floor apartment linked to murderous atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in the capital is connected to a transnational web of companies involved in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread killing of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives.

While accounts of atrocities mount, links have been identified between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Company

The flat in Tottenham is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in documents at Companies House as resident in Britain.

The company is operational. The day after the US treasury announced sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of central London. Its updated address corresponds to one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

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

"It is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities states are directing this fighter recruitment 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 UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks

Analysts say the situation highlights concerns over how individuals openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a firm in the UK capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and sexual violence" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or verify the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz proved fruitless; its online site, created in May, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Network Headed by Retired Officer

Per the US treasury, the man at the heart 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 having a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a company alleged of processing money and salaries for the operation employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals set up a firm in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was handed over to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are listed in Companies House records as owning "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one identified as a key controller.

Both describe the UK as their "place of residency".

Effect on the War and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the course of the war, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, foot soldiers, trainers, and pilots for drones.

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

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing daily fatalities," said the expert. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a significant part of this outside support."

He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company highlighted broader concerns over the lack of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do deals with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A UK official said that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and running UK companies.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light 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 supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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