Colombian Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Hired by UK-Registered Firms
Situated close to a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London is a plain, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable facade lies a grim secret: a cramped flat connected to murderous atrocities unfolding thousands of miles to the south.
According to UK government records, this apartment in north London is tied to a transnational network of companies implicated in the mass recruitment of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous war crimes and genocide.
Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted
Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread killing of civilians.
Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the RSF's seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, 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 fighters hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.
UK Address Connected to Sanctioned Firm
The apartment in north London is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and penalized last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.
Both figures – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are described in documents at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.
The firm is operational. The following day the United States imposed sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of central London. Its new postcode matches a 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.
"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.
Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight
Analysts say the situation highlights concerns over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the UK capital.
The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse 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 Zeuz Global, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or verify the residency status of the penalized people.
Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, set up in spring, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details.
Operation Headed by Former Soldier
According to the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer based in the Gulf state.
The US alleges this individual of having a central role in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm.
Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a company alleged of handling funds and payroll for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.
"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual engaged in many bank transactions, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.
Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict
In April of this year, the penalized figures set up a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.
Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.
The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a key controller.
Both describe Britain as their "country of residence".
Effect on the War and Wider Issues
The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.
These aircraft proved key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.
"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," added the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a significant part of this external assistance."
He added that the involvement of penalized persons in a UK company underlined wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are set up.
"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said.
Government Response and Continuing Claims
A government source said that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK companies.
The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret 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 United Arab Emirates, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.
A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."
They noted that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.