Colombian Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Hired by British-Based Companies

Tucked away close to a shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable facade exists a dark secret: a small second-floor apartment linked to murderous crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in the capital is tied to a international network of companies implicated in the mass hiring of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread killing of women and children.

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 analysts say has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

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

UK Address Connected to Censured Company

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and penalized recently by the US treasury for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in records at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom.

The firm is active. The day after the US treasury announced sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to a luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

Both hotels said they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had used their addresses.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the US government states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in north London," said an expert, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight

Analysts say the saga highlights concerns over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the British capital.

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

When questioned about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had awareness of the company's activities or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, created in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with no contact details.

Operation Headed by Former Soldier

According to the US treasury, the figure at the centre 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 hiring former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for running the agency.

Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a company accused of processing money and salaries for the network employing the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted many wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In spring of this year, the penalized figures registered a firm in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the camp was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are listed in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one identified as a key controller.

Both list Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, experts state. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft were 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," added the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do business with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

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

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 mercenaries recently confirmed that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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