🔗 Share this article Colombian Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Hired by UK-Registered Firms Situated close to a shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a plain, nondescript apartment building. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork exists a dark secret: a cramped second-floor apartment linked to deadly crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south. According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a international web of firms involved in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to combat in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing. Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of civilians. These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives. As accounts of atrocities mount, links have been identified between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital. UK Address Connected to Censured Firm The flat in Tottenham is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and penalized recently by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF. Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as resident in Britain. The company is active. The following day the United States imposed sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of London. Its updated address corresponds to one five-star hotel in Covent Garden. The establishments in question stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their addresses. "It is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan. Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight Experts argue the situation highlights concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the British capital. The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and sexual violence" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide. When asked about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or confirm the residency status of the penalized people. Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details. Operation Led by Retired Officer According to the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The US accuses this individual of playing a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also penalized for running the firm. Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a company accused of processing money and payroll for the network hiring the Colombian fighters. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said. Company Registration and Escalating Violence In spring of this year, the penalized figures registered a firm in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher. The sanctioned individuals are listed in Companies House records as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control". The two describe the UK as their "country of residence". Impact on the War and Wider Issues The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the war, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for drones. These aircraft were key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas. "The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," added the analyst. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this outside support." He noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a UK company underlined wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when firms are set up. "Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with respectable entities. 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 stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling 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 mercenaries recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher. The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims. A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery." They added that the UK had also sanctioned RSF leaders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.
Situated close to a shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a plain, nondescript apartment building. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork exists a dark secret: a cramped second-floor apartment linked to deadly crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south. According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a international web of firms involved in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to combat in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing. Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of civilians. These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives. As accounts of atrocities mount, links have been identified between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital. UK Address Connected to Censured Firm The flat in Tottenham is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and penalized recently by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF. Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as resident in Britain. The company is active. The following day the United States imposed sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of London. Its updated address corresponds to one five-star hotel in Covent Garden. The establishments in question stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their addresses. "It is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan. Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight Experts argue the situation highlights concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the British capital. The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and sexual violence" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide. When asked about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or confirm the residency status of the penalized people. Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details. Operation Led by Retired Officer According to the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The US accuses this individual of playing a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also penalized for running the firm. Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a company accused of processing money and payroll for the network hiring the Colombian fighters. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said. Company Registration and Escalating Violence In spring of this year, the penalized figures registered a firm in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher. The sanctioned individuals are listed in Companies House records as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control". The two describe the UK as their "country of residence". Impact on the War and Wider Issues The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the war, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for drones. These aircraft were key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas. "The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," added the analyst. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this outside support." He noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a UK company underlined wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when firms are set up. "Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with respectable entities. 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 stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling 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 mercenaries recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher. The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims. A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery." They added that the UK had also sanctioned RSF leaders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.