Colombian Contractors in Sudan Reportedly Hired by British-Based Firms

Tucked away close to a gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a squat, nondescript block of flats. Behind its ordinary facade exists a grim secret: a small flat connected to murderous crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in north London is connected to a international web of firms implicated in the mass hiring of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of women and children.

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

While reports of atrocities mount, links have been identified between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

London Flat Connected to Censured Firm

The apartment in north London is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and penalized recently by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in records at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The company is active. The day after the US treasury imposed restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of London. Its new postcode matches a luxury accommodation in a central district.

The establishments in question stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had listed their postcodes.

"It is of major concern that the primary figures the US government states are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in north London," said an expert, a analyst and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Analysts say the saga raises questions over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a firm in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

When questioned about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or confirm the residency status of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, created in spring, was labelled as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Led by Retired Officer

According to the US treasury, the figure at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a company accused of handling funds and payroll for the network employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

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

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

The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

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

Impact on the War and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the course of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

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

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing daily fatalities," said the expert. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this outside support."

He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks 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 harder to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

A government source stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" 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 Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an halt to atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery."

They added that the UK had recently imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their role in the crimes in El Fasher.