Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan Allegedly Hired by British-Based Companies

Situated near a shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a plain, nondescript block of flats. Behind its unremarkable facade lies a dark reality: a cramped flat connected to deadly crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in the capital is connected to a international network of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Recruited

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the RSF's capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives.

While reports of atrocities increase, links have been found between the fighters contracted to overrun 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 individuals identified and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in records at the UK company registry as living in the United Kingdom.

The firm remains active. The day after the US treasury announced restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of London. Its updated address corresponds to one luxury accommodation in a central district.

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

"It is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government claims are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight

Experts argue the situation raises concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a firm in the UK capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and sexual violence" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not respond on whether it had awareness of the company's operations or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

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 located in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of playing a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm.

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

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in many bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In April of this year, the sanctioned individuals registered a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing over 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

Both describe Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and pilots for drones.

These drones were key in the capture of El Fasher and during combat 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 recruitment network has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He added that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" 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 Colombia’s foreign ministry.

One of the fighters 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 linked to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery."

They noted that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF commanders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.