Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies

Situated near a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a grim reality: a small second-floor apartment linked to murderous crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

According to UK government records, this apartment in the capital is tied to a international web of companies implicated in the mass hiring of fighters to combat in the African nation alongside militias charged of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Former Colombian Military Enlisted

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of women and children.

These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While accounts of violence mount, connections have been found between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

UK Address Connected to Sanctioned Firm

The apartment in north London is registered to a company named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in records at the UK company registry as living in Britain.

The company is active. The following day the United States imposed sanctions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of London. Its new postcode matches a luxury accommodation in a central district.

Both hotels stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had used their postcodes.

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in north London," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Experts say the saga highlights questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a firm in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, torture and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide.

When asked about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Network Headed by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the figure at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also penalized for running the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a business alleged of handling funds and salaries for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In April of the current year, the penalized figures registered a company in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the site was handed over to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a key controller.

The two describe the UK as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft proved instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," added 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 underlined wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when firms are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

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

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an halt to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the removal of obstacles to humanitarian access."

They added that the UK had also sanctioned RSF leaders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.