🔗 Share this article Colombian Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies Tucked away near the shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a plain, nondescript apartment building. Behind its ordinary facade exists a dark secret: a small flat connected to deadly crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south. According to British official documents, this apartment in the capital is tied to a international web of companies involved in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside militias accused of myriad atrocities and genocide. Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of civilians. These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives. While reports of atrocities increase, connections have been found between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the city of London. London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm The apartment in north London is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF. Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as resident in Britain. The company is operational. The following day the US treasury announced restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of London. Its updated address corresponds to one five-star hotel in a central district. The establishments in question said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their addresses. "This is of serious worry that the key individuals the US government states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan. Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks Experts say the situation raises concerns over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a firm in the UK capital. The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and sexual violence" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide. When questioned about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s activities or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals. Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its online site, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details. Operation Led by Former Soldier Per the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the Gulf state. The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the agency. Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the operation employing the mercenaries. "During 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read. Company Registration and Escalating Violence In April of this year, the penalized figures set up a company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 civilians. 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 holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a key controller. Both describe Britain as their "country of residence". Impact on the War and Wider Issues The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft. These drones were key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas. "The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," added the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this outside support." He added that the participation of penalized persons in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the lack of rigorous checks when firms are set up. "Owning 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. Official Reaction and Continuing Claims A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and running UK companies. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to 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 United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were connected 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 protection of non-combatants, and the removal of obstacles to aid delivery." They noted that the UK had also sanctioned RSF leaders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.
Tucked away near the shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a plain, nondescript apartment building. Behind its ordinary facade exists a dark secret: a small flat connected to deadly crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south. According to British official documents, this apartment in the capital is tied to a international web of companies involved in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside militias accused of myriad atrocities and genocide. Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of civilians. These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives. While reports of atrocities increase, connections have been found between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the city of London. London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm The apartment in north London is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF. Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as resident in Britain. The company is operational. The following day the US treasury announced restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of London. Its updated address corresponds to one five-star hotel in a central district. The establishments in question said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their addresses. "This is of serious worry that the key individuals the US government states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan. Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks Experts say the situation raises concerns over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a firm in the UK capital. The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and sexual violence" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide. When questioned about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s activities or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals. Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its online site, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details. Operation Led by Former Soldier Per the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the Gulf state. The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the agency. Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the operation employing the mercenaries. "During 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read. Company Registration and Escalating Violence In April of this year, the penalized figures set up a company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 civilians. 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 holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a key controller. Both describe Britain as their "country of residence". Impact on the War and Wider Issues The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft. These drones were key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas. "The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," added the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this outside support." He added that the participation of penalized persons in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the lack of rigorous checks when firms are set up. "Owning 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. Official Reaction and Continuing Claims A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and running UK companies. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to 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 United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were connected 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 protection of non-combatants, and the removal of obstacles to aid delivery." They noted that the UK had also sanctioned RSF leaders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.