Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Hired by UK-Registered Firms

Situated near the shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a plain, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its ordinary facade lies a grim secret: a small second-floor apartment linked to deadly crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a international web of companies involved in the mass recruitment of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside militias charged of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- 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 blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While accounts of atrocities mount, links have been identified between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in Tottenham is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, established by two people named and penalized recently by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

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

The firm is active. The day after the US treasury imposed restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its updated address corresponds to a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question stated they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had used their postcodes.

"It is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in north London," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks

Experts say the saga highlights questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a company in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When asked about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s activities or verify the location of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, created in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with no contact details.

Operation Headed by Retired Officer

Per the US treasury, the figure at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His wife was also penalized for running the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a business alleged of processing money and payroll for the operation hiring the mercenaries.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted many bank transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

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

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing over 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are listed in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a key controller.

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

Impact on the War and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These drones were key in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," said the expert. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He noted that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do business with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated 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 came to light 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 fought in El Fasher.

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the protection of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery."

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