Colombian Contractors in Sudan Reportedly Hired by British-Based Firms

Situated near a gleaming soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital lies a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its ordinary facade exists a dark reality: a small flat connected to murderous atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a transnational web of firms involved in the mass recruitment of fighters to combat in the African nation alongside militias charged of numerous atrocities and genocide.

Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

While reports of atrocities mount, connections have been identified between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and penalized last week by the American authorities for hiring contractors to combat for the RSF.

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

The company is operational. The day after the US treasury announced sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to a luxury accommodation in a central district.

Both hotels said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their postcodes.

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in north London," said an expert, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight

Experts say the situation highlights concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the UK capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned 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 knowledge of the firm’s operations or verify the residency status of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its website, created in May, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Led by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military 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 Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a company accused of processing money and salaries for the operation hiring the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted many wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals set up a firm in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in Companies House records as holding "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one named as a key controller.

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

Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, trainers, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft were key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," added the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component 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.

"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 set up a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A government source said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling 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 confirmed that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A report alleged that UAE nationals supplying fighters to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access."

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