🔗 Share this article Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Hired by British-Based Companies Tucked away near a shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a plain, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its ordinary facade lies a grim secret: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to murderous crimes taking place a vast distance to the south. According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a international web of firms involved in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Hundreds of Former Colombian Military Recruited Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of civilians. These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has cost over 60,000 lives. As accounts of atrocities mount, links have been found between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London. London Flat Connected to Censured Firm The flat in Tottenham is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and penalized recently by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF. Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are described in records at the UK company registry as living in Britain. The company remains operational. The day after the US treasury announced sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of London. Its updated address corresponds to one five-star hotel in Covent Garden. The establishments in question said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had used their postcodes. "It is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities states are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan. Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks Experts say the saga raises concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a firm in the British capital. The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide. When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or verify the residency status of the sanctioned individuals. Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details. Operation Led by Former Soldier According to the American authorities, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The US alleges this individual of playing a central role in recruiting 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 business alleged of handling funds and salaries for the operation employing 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 said. Company Registration and Escalating Violence In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global. Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher. The sanctioned individuals are named in Companies House records as holding "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a key controller. Both describe the UK as their "country of residence". Effect on the War and Wider Issues The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the war, experts state. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for drones. These aircraft proved key in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing daily fatalities," said the expert. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support." He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when firms are set up. "Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors 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 said. Government Response and Ongoing Allegations A government source stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing and controlling UK firms. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry. One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher. The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations. A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the protection of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access." They added that the UK had also sanctioned RSF commanders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.
Tucked away near a shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a plain, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its ordinary facade lies a grim secret: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to murderous crimes taking place a vast distance to the south. According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a international web of firms involved in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Hundreds of Former Colombian Military Recruited Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of civilians. These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has cost over 60,000 lives. As accounts of atrocities mount, links have been found between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London. London Flat Connected to Censured Firm The flat in Tottenham is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and penalized recently by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF. Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are described in records at the UK company registry as living in Britain. The company remains operational. The day after the US treasury announced sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of London. Its updated address corresponds to one five-star hotel in Covent Garden. The establishments in question said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had used their postcodes. "It is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities states are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan. Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks Experts say the saga raises concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a firm in the British capital. The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide. When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or verify the residency status of the sanctioned individuals. Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details. Operation Led by Former Soldier According to the American authorities, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The US alleges this individual of playing a central role in recruiting 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 business alleged of handling funds and salaries for the operation employing 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 said. Company Registration and Escalating Violence In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global. Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher. The sanctioned individuals are named in Companies House records as holding "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a key controller. Both describe the UK as their "country of residence". Effect on the War and Wider Issues The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the war, experts state. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for drones. These aircraft proved key in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing daily fatalities," said the expert. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support." He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when firms are set up. "Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors 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 said. Government Response and Ongoing Allegations A government source stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing and controlling UK firms. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry. One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher. The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations. A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the protection of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access." They added that the UK had also sanctioned RSF commanders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.