🔗 Share this article South American Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Hired by British-Based Firms Situated close to a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a plain, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its ordinary facade lies a dark reality: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to deadly atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south. According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is tied to a transnational network of companies involved in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of civilians. Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives. While reports of violence increase, links have been identified between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital. UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Firm The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a company named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and penalized last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF. Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are described in documents at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom. The company remains operational. The following day the United States imposed sanctions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, 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 connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had used their postcodes. "This is of major concern that the key individuals the American authorities states 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 United Nations group on Sudan. Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks Experts argue the situation highlights questions over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a company in the British capital. The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide. When questioned about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals. Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, set up in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with no contact details. Operation Headed by Former Soldier According to the US treasury, 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 Gulf state. The US alleges this individual of having a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the firm. Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a company alleged of handling funds and payroll for the operation hiring the mercenaries. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the official announcement said. Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals set up a firm in the UK capital 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 seizure, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher. The penalized people are named in Companies House records as holding "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control". The two list Britain as their "place of residency". Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the war, experts state. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for drones. These drones were instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," added the analyst. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance." He noted that the participation of penalized persons in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are set up. "Owning a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said. Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and running UK companies. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an apology 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 arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations. A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery." They added that the UK had recently imposed restrictions on RSF commanders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.
Situated close to a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a plain, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its ordinary facade lies a dark reality: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to deadly atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south. According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is tied to a transnational network of companies involved in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of civilians. Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives. While reports of violence increase, links have been identified between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital. UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Firm The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a company named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and penalized last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF. Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are described in documents at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom. The company remains operational. The following day the United States imposed sanctions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, 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 connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had used their postcodes. "This is of major concern that the key individuals the American authorities states 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 United Nations group on Sudan. Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks Experts argue the situation highlights questions over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a company in the British capital. The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide. When questioned about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals. Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, set up in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with no contact details. Operation Headed by Former Soldier According to the US treasury, 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 Gulf state. The US alleges this individual of having a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the firm. Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a company alleged of handling funds and payroll for the operation hiring the mercenaries. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the official announcement said. Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals set up a firm in the UK capital 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 seizure, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher. The penalized people are named in Companies House records as holding "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control". The two list Britain as their "place of residency". Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the war, experts state. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for drones. These drones were instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," added the analyst. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance." He noted that the participation of penalized persons in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are set up. "Owning a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said. Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and running UK companies. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an apology 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 arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations. A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery." They added that the UK had recently imposed restrictions on RSF commanders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.