Colombian Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies

Situated close to a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London is a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork lies a grim secret: a small second-floor apartment connected to deadly atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is tied to a international web of companies involved in the mass hiring of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the RSF's seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

As accounts of violence increase, connections have been identified between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

UK Address Connected to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in north London is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and penalized last week by the American authorities for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in records at Companies House as living in Britain.

The company is active. The day after the US treasury imposed 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 luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

Both hotels said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had listed their postcodes.

"This is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities claims are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Analysts argue the situation highlights concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat 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 asked about the company, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or confirm the residency status of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz was unsuccessful; its online site, set up in spring, was labelled as "being built" with no contact details.

Operation Headed by Former Soldier

According to the American authorities, the man at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of playing a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His spouse was also penalized for running the firm.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for managing a business alleged of processing money and payroll for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted many bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In April of this year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

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

The penalized people are named in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control".

Both list the UK as their "place of residency".

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, foot soldiers, instructors, and operators for drones.

These drones were instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," said the expert. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance."

He added that the involvement of penalized persons in a London firm underlined wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when companies are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do deals with legitimate counterparts. 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 Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

One of the mercenaries recently confirmed that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of the contractors. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the removal of obstacles to humanitarian access."

They added that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF commanders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.