🔗 Share this article Colombian Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies Tucked away near the shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London lies a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a dark secret: a small flat connected to deadly atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south. According to UK government records, this apartment in the capital is connected to a transnational web of companies implicated in the mass hiring of mercenaries to combat in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous war crimes and genocide. Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic killing of women and children. Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives. While accounts of atrocities increase, links have been identified between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital. UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Company The flat in Tottenham is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF. Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in records at the UK company registry as living in the United Kingdom. The firm remains active. The following day the US treasury announced sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode matches a five-star hotel in Covent Garden. The establishments in question said they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had listed their addresses. "It is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," stated an expert, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan. Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight Experts say the situation raises concerns over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the British capital. The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and sexual violence" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide. When questioned about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or confirm the residency status of the penalized people. Contacting Zeuz was unsuccessful; its online site, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with lacking information. Network Headed by Former Soldier According to the American authorities, the man at the heart of the South American recruitment operation 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 recruiting ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm. Another dual national was similarly censured for managing a company alleged of processing money and salaries for the network hiring the mercenaries. "During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read. Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence In spring of this year, the penalized figures registered a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher. The penalized people are listed in Companies House records as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one named as a person of "significant control". The two list the UK as their "place of residency". Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns The hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for drones. These aircraft proved key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," said the expert. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this external assistance." He added that the participation of penalized persons in a UK company highlighted broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are set up. "Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said. Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK companies. The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry. One of the fighters recently admitted that he had trained children in Sudan and fought in El Fasher. The United Arab Emirates, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations. A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery." They noted that the UK had recently imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.
Tucked away near the shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London lies a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a dark secret: a small flat connected to deadly atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south. According to UK government records, this apartment in the capital is connected to a transnational web of companies implicated in the mass hiring of mercenaries to combat in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous war crimes and genocide. Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic killing of women and children. Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives. While accounts of atrocities increase, links have been identified between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital. UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Company The flat in Tottenham is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF. Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in records at the UK company registry as living in the United Kingdom. The firm remains active. The following day the US treasury announced sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode matches a five-star hotel in Covent Garden. The establishments in question said they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had listed their addresses. "It is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," stated an expert, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan. Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight Experts say the situation raises concerns over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the British capital. The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and sexual violence" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide. When questioned about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or confirm the residency status of the penalized people. Contacting Zeuz was unsuccessful; its online site, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with lacking information. Network Headed by Former Soldier According to the American authorities, the man at the heart of the South American recruitment operation 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 recruiting ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm. Another dual national was similarly censured for managing a company alleged of processing money and salaries for the network hiring the mercenaries. "During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read. Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence In spring of this year, the penalized figures registered a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher. The penalized people are listed in Companies House records as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one named as a person of "significant control". The two list the UK as their "place of residency". Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns The hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for drones. These aircraft proved key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," said the expert. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this external assistance." He added that the participation of penalized persons in a UK company highlighted broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are set up. "Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said. Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK companies. The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry. One of the fighters recently admitted that he had trained children in Sudan and fought in El Fasher. The United Arab Emirates, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations. A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery." They noted that the UK had recently imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.