Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Firms

Situated close to the shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in the British capital is a squat, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a dark reality: a cramped flat connected to deadly crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a transnational web of firms involved in the large-scale hiring of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of women and children.

These contractors were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has cost at least 60,000 lives.

While accounts of violence increase, links have been found between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

UK Address Connected to Sanctioned Firm

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and sanctioned recently by the American authorities for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF.

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

The firm is operational. The following day the United States imposed restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

Both hotels said they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had used their addresses.

"It is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in the capital," stated an expert, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Checks

Experts argue the situation raises concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and sexual violence" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

When questioned about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the company's operations or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, set up in May, was labelled as "being built" with no contact details.

Network Led by Retired Officer

Per the American authorities, the man at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of playing a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed 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 managing a company alleged of processing money and payroll for the network employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In spring of this year, the penalized figures registered a company in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing over 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the site 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 identified as a person of "significant control".

The two list Britain as their "country of residence".

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for drones.

These drones proved instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," added the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance."

He noted that the participation of penalized persons in a London firm underlined wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when firms are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A government source said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and controlling UK companies.

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

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the safety 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.