Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies

Situated near the shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a plain, nondescript block of flats. Behind its ordinary facade exists a grim secret: a cramped flat linked to deadly atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a transnational network of companies involved in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside militias accused of numerous atrocities and genocide.

Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted

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

These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives.

As accounts of violence mount, links have been found between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

UK Address Connected to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in Tottenham is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and penalized last week by the US treasury for hiring contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in documents at Companies House as resident in Britain.

The company remains active. The following day the United States announced sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the centre of central London. Its updated address matches a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

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

"This is of major concern that the key individuals the US government claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," stated an expert, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Analysts say the saga raises questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a firm in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, torture and assault" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or verify the residency status of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information.

Operation Headed by Former Soldier

According to the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in recruiting ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for running the firm.

Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a company accused of processing money and salaries for the operation hiring the mercenaries.

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

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

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

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in Companies House records as owning "starting shares" in the company, with one named as a person of "significant control".

Both describe the UK as their "country of residence".

Impact on the War and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and pilots for drones.

These drones proved instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," added the expert. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this outside support."

He noted that the participation of penalized persons in a UK company underlined wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when companies are set up.

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

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A government source said that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and running UK companies.

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 UAE, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of civilians, 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 atrocities in El Fasher.