🔗 Share this article Colombian Contractors in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by British-Based Companies Situated near a shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital is a squat, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork lies a dark reality: a small second-floor apartment connected to deadly crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south. Per British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a transnational network of companies implicated in the mass recruitment of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside militias accused of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of women and children. These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed at least 60,000 lives. While reports of violence increase, connections have been found between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London. UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Company The flat in north London is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and penalized last week by the US treasury for hiring contractors to combat for the RSF. Both figures – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are described in documents at Companies House as living in Britain. The firm remains active. The day after the US treasury imposed restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the centre of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden. Both hotels said they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had listed their addresses. "It is of major concern that the key individuals the US government claims are directing 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 United Nations group on Sudan. Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks Experts say the situation raises concerns over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a firm in the UK capital. The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and sexual violence" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide. When questioned about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s activities or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals. Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its website, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details. Operation Led by Former Soldier Per the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state. The US alleges this individual of playing a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers 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 similarly censured for managing a business alleged of processing money and salaries for the network hiring the Colombian fighters. "During 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the official announcement said. Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict In spring of this year, the penalized figures set up a company in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher. The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the firm, with one identified as a key controller. The two list Britain as their "country of residence". Effect on the Conflict and Wider Issues The hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the war, experts state. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for unmanned aircraft. These aircraft proved key in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas. "The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," added the expert. "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 sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when companies are established. "Owning a UK company like this is a license 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. Government Response and Ongoing Allegations A government source said that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and controlling UK companies. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry. One of the mercenaries recently admitted 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 hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims. A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access." They added that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.
Situated near a shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital is a squat, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork lies a dark reality: a small second-floor apartment connected to deadly crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south. Per British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a transnational network of companies implicated in the mass recruitment of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside militias accused of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of women and children. These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed at least 60,000 lives. While reports of violence increase, connections have been found between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London. UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Company The flat in north London is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and penalized last week by the US treasury for hiring contractors to combat for the RSF. Both figures – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are described in documents at Companies House as living in Britain. The firm remains active. The day after the US treasury imposed restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the centre of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden. Both hotels said they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had listed their addresses. "It is of major concern that the key individuals the US government claims are directing 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 United Nations group on Sudan. Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks Experts say the situation raises concerns over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a firm in the UK capital. The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and sexual violence" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide. When questioned about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s activities or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals. Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its website, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details. Operation Led by Former Soldier Per the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state. The US alleges this individual of playing a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers 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 similarly censured for managing a business alleged of processing money and salaries for the network hiring the Colombian fighters. "During 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the official announcement said. Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict In spring of this year, the penalized figures set up a company in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher. The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the firm, with one identified as a key controller. The two list Britain as their "country of residence". Effect on the Conflict and Wider Issues The hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the war, experts state. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for unmanned aircraft. These aircraft proved key in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas. "The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," added the expert. "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 sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when companies are established. "Owning a UK company like this is a license 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. Government Response and Ongoing Allegations A government source said that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and controlling UK companies. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry. One of the mercenaries recently admitted 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 hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims. A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access." They added that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.