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

Situated close to a gleaming soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital lies a plain, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its unremarkable facade exists a dark reality: a cramped second-floor apartment linked to deadly crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this apartment in the capital is tied to a transnational web of companies implicated in the mass hiring of fighters to combat in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of civilians.

These contractors were key participants in the RSF's capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives.

While reports of atrocities mount, links have been identified between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Censured Company

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as living in Britain.

The company remains active. The day after the US treasury imposed sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of London. Its new postcode matches one luxury accommodation in a central district.

Both hotels said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had listed their addresses.

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities states are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks

Analysts argue the saga raises questions over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a company in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, torture and sexual violence" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide.

When asked about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had awareness of the company's activities or verify the location of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, set up in May, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the figure at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a business alleged of processing money and salaries for the operation hiring the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In April of the current year, the penalized figures set up a firm in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

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

The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control".

The two list Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for drones.

These drones proved key 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 daily fatalities," added the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance."

He added that the participation of penalized persons in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do deals with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK firms.

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

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

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

A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the protection of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

They noted that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF commanders for their role in the crimes in El Fasher.