🔗 Share this article Colombian Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Hired by British-Based Companies Tucked away close to a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a squat, nondescript apartment building. Behind its unremarkable facade exists a grim reality: a small second-floor apartment connected to murderous crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south. Per UK government records, this apartment in north London is tied to a international web of firms implicated in the large-scale hiring of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous atrocities and genocide. Scores of Former Colombian Military Enlisted A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of civilians. Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives. As accounts of violence mount, links have been found between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital. London Flat Connected to Censured Firm The apartment in north London is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two people named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF. Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in records at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom. The company is operational. The day after the United States announced restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address 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 were unaware why the firm had used their postcodes. "This is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan. Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Checks Analysts argue the saga highlights questions over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a firm in the British capital. The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, torture and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide. When asked about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals. Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its online site, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information. Operation Led by Retired Officer Per the American authorities, the figure at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the agency. Another dual national was also sanctioned for overseeing a company accused of handling funds and salaries for the operation employing the Colombian fighters. "During 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read. Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict In spring of this year, the sanctioned individuals registered a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher. The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control". Both list the UK as their "place of residency". Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft. These aircraft proved instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," said the analyst. "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 penalized persons in a UK company underlined wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are established. "Having a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated. Government Response and Continuing Claims A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK companies. The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting an apology from the South American nation's government. One of the mercenaries recently confirmed that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher. The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations. A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is demanding an halt to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access." They noted that the UK had recently imposed restrictions on RSF commanders for their role in the crimes in El Fasher.
Tucked away close to a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a squat, nondescript apartment building. Behind its unremarkable facade exists a grim reality: a small second-floor apartment connected to murderous crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south. Per UK government records, this apartment in north London is tied to a international web of firms implicated in the large-scale hiring of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous atrocities and genocide. Scores of Former Colombian Military Enlisted A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of civilians. Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives. As accounts of violence mount, links have been found between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital. London Flat Connected to Censured Firm The apartment in north London is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two people named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF. Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in records at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom. The company is operational. The day after the United States announced restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address 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 were unaware why the firm had used their postcodes. "This is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan. Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Checks Analysts argue the saga highlights questions over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a firm in the British capital. The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, torture and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide. When asked about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals. Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its online site, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information. Operation Led by Retired Officer Per the American authorities, the figure at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the agency. Another dual national was also sanctioned for overseeing a company accused of handling funds and salaries for the operation employing the Colombian fighters. "During 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read. Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict In spring of this year, the sanctioned individuals registered a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher. The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control". Both list the UK as their "place of residency". Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft. These aircraft proved instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," said the analyst. "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 penalized persons in a UK company underlined wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are established. "Having a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated. Government Response and Continuing Claims A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK companies. The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting an apology from the South American nation's government. One of the mercenaries recently confirmed that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher. The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations. A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is demanding an halt to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access." They noted that the UK had recently imposed restrictions on RSF commanders for their role in the crimes in El Fasher.