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

Tucked away close to a shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a plain, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a grim secret: a small second-floor apartment linked to murderous atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in the capital is connected to a transnational web of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous atrocities and genocide.

Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Recruited

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved 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 at least 60,000 lives.

As reports of atrocities mount, links have been identified between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Company

The flat in north London is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are described in documents at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The firm is operational. The day after the United States announced sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of central London. Its updated address corresponds to one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

Both hotels stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had used their postcodes.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," stated an expert, a analyst and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Experts argue the saga raises questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a firm in the UK capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

When questioned about Zeuz Global, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or verify the residency status of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, set up in spring, was labelled as "being built" with lacking information.

Operation Headed by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the figure at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of having a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a company alleged of handling funds and payroll for the operation hiring the Colombian fighters.

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

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the penalized figures set up a company in the UK capital called 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 capture, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a key controller.

The two list the UK as their "place of residency".

Effect on the War and Broader Concerns

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

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

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," added the expert. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this outside support."

He added that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with respectable entities. 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 Continuing Claims

A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers 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 mercenaries recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery."

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