Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Hired by British-Based Firms

Situated close to the gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a plain, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork lies a grim reality: a small flat connected to murderous atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.

Per British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a international web of companies involved in the mass hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives.

While reports of atrocities increase, connections have been identified between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two people named and penalized last week by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom.

The firm is operational. The following day the US treasury imposed restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of central London. Its updated address matches one five-star hotel in a central district.

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

"It is of major concern that the key individuals the US government claims are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks

Analysts argue the saga highlights questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and sexual violence" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When asked about the company, the registry 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 website, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information.

Network Led by Retired Officer

Per the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of playing a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His wife was also penalized for running the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a business accused of handling funds and salaries for the operation employing the mercenaries.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual conducted many bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In April of this year, the penalized figures registered a firm in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are listed in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control".

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

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the course of the war, experts state. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and operators for drones.

These drones were instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," said 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 added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are established.

"Owning a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction 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 setting up and controlling UK companies.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an apology 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 supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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