🔗 Share this article Colombian Contractors in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Firms Situated near a shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a dark secret: a cramped flat connected to murderous atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south. Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a transnational network of companies involved in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside militias accused of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the widespread killing of women and children. Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the RSF's capture 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. As accounts of atrocities mount, connections have been identified between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital. London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm The flat in Tottenham is registered to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and sanctioned recently by the American authorities 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 resident in Britain. The company remains active. The day after the United States imposed sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of London. Its updated address corresponds to one five-star hotel in a central district. The establishments in question said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their postcodes. "This is of serious worry that the key individuals the US government claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan. Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks Analysts argue the saga raises questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the UK capital. The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and sexual violence" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide. When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals. Contacting Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information. 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 Gulf state. The US alleges this individual of playing a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the firm. Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a company accused of processing money and payroll for the network employing the mercenaries. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual engaged in many bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read. Company Registration and Escalating Violence In spring of this year, the sanctioned individuals set up a firm in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was handed over to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher. The penalized people are listed in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one identified as a key controller. Both describe Britain as their "place of residency". Effect on the War and Wider Issues The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the war, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, foot soldiers, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft. These drones were instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," said the expert. "These systems 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 UK company underlined broader concerns over the lack of strict vetting when firms are established. "Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated. Government Response and Continuing Claims A government source said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling UK firms. 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 fighters recently confirmed that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher. The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these claims. A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access." They added that the UK had also sanctioned RSF commanders for their role in the crimes in El Fasher.
Situated near a shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a dark secret: a cramped flat connected to murderous atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south. Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a transnational network of companies involved in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside militias accused of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the widespread killing of women and children. Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the RSF's capture 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. As accounts of atrocities mount, connections have been identified between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital. London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm The flat in Tottenham is registered to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and sanctioned recently by the American authorities 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 resident in Britain. The company remains active. The day after the United States imposed sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of London. Its updated address corresponds to one five-star hotel in a central district. The establishments in question said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their postcodes. "This is of serious worry that the key individuals the US government claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan. Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks Analysts argue the saga raises questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the UK capital. The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and sexual violence" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide. When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals. Contacting Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information. 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 Gulf state. The US alleges this individual of playing a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the firm. Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a company accused of processing money and payroll for the network employing the mercenaries. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual engaged in many bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read. Company Registration and Escalating Violence In spring of this year, the sanctioned individuals set up a firm in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was handed over to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher. The penalized people are listed in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one identified as a key controller. Both describe Britain as their "place of residency". Effect on the War and Wider Issues The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the war, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, foot soldiers, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft. These drones were instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," said the expert. "These systems 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 UK company underlined broader concerns over the lack of strict vetting when firms are established. "Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated. Government Response and Continuing Claims A government source said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling UK firms. 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 fighters recently confirmed that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher. The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these claims. A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access." They added that the UK had also sanctioned RSF commanders for their role in the crimes in El Fasher.