Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Hired by British-Based Firms

Situated near a shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable facade lies a grim secret: a small second-floor apartment connected to murderous atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a transnational network of companies involved in the mass recruitment of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives.

As accounts of atrocities increase, connections have been found between the mercenaries contracted to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Censured Firm

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two people named and penalized last week by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in records at Companies House as resident in Britain.

The company is operational. The day after the United States announced sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of London. Its new postcode corresponds to a five-star hotel in a central district.

The establishments in question stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had listed their postcodes.

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight

Experts say the situation highlights questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a firm in the UK capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, torture and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about the company, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s activities or confirm the residency status of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz was unsuccessful; its website, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details.

Operation Headed by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for running the firm.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for managing a company alleged of handling funds and salaries for the operation employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

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

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the site was handed over to the hired fighters, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a key controller.

The two describe Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, 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 precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," added the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He noted that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when firms are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

One of the fighters recently confirmed that he had trained children in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is demanding an halt to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery."

They added that the UK had also sanctioned RSF leaders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.