Colombian Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Recruited by British-Based Companies

Situated close to the shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in London is a plain, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its ordinary facade exists a dark reality: a cramped flat connected to murderous atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.

According to British official documents, this apartment in the capital is tied to a transnational web of companies involved in the large-scale hiring of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous war crimes and genocide.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic killing of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that experts believe has cost over 60,000 lives.

While reports of violence increase, connections have been identified between the mercenaries contracted to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in north London is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and penalized recently by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are described in documents at Companies House as resident in Britain.

The company is operational. The following day the US treasury imposed sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of central 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 were unaware why the firm had listed their postcodes.

"This is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," stated an expert, a researcher and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Checks

Experts argue the saga highlights questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a firm in the UK capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s activities or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

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

Operation Led by Retired Officer

According to the US treasury, the man at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of having a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also penalized for running the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a business alleged of processing money and payroll for the operation employing the mercenaries.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in numerous bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of this year, the sanctioned individuals set up a company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as owning "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one identified as a key controller.

Both list 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 trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft were instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," said the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this outside support."

He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when companies are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

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

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting an apology from the South American nation's government.

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

The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the protection of civilians, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access."

They noted that the UK had also sanctioned RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.