🔗 Share this article South American Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies Situated close to the gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London is a squat, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork exists a dark reality: a cramped second-floor apartment linked to deadly crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south. Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a transnational network of companies implicated in the mass hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside militias accused of numerous atrocities and genocide. Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of women and children. Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has cost at least 60,000 lives. As reports of atrocities increase, connections have been found between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London. UK Address Linked to Censured Firm The flat in north London is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF. Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as resident in Britain. The firm is operational. The day after the US treasury imposed sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of London. Its updated address corresponds to a five-star hotel in a central district. The establishments in question said they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had used their postcodes. "This is of major concern that the key individuals the US government states are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan. Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks Experts argue the situation highlights concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the UK capital. The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide. When asked about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals. Contacting Zeuz proved fruitless; its online site, set up in May, was marked as "being built" with lacking information. Operation Headed by Retired Officer According to the American authorities, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the Gulf state. The US accuses this individual of playing a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for running the firm. Another dual national was similarly censured for managing a company accused of handling funds and salaries for the network hiring the Colombian fighters. "During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read. Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict In April of this year, the penalized figures set up a firm in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing over 1,500 civilians. 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 holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one identified as a key controller. Both describe the UK as their "place of residency". Effect on the Conflict and Wider Issues The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the war, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for drones. These drones were key in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," added the expert. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance." He noted that the participation of penalized persons in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when firms are set up. "Owning a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do business with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said. Government Response and Ongoing Allegations A government source stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK firms. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry. One of the fighters recently confirmed that he had instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat 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 Emirati business people supplying 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 demanding an halt to violence, the protection of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access." They noted that the UK had recently imposed restrictions on RSF commanders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.
Situated close to the gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London is a squat, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork exists a dark reality: a cramped second-floor apartment linked to deadly crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south. Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a transnational network of companies implicated in the mass hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside militias accused of numerous atrocities and genocide. Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of women and children. Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has cost at least 60,000 lives. As reports of atrocities increase, connections have been found between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London. UK Address Linked to Censured Firm The flat in north London is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF. Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as resident in Britain. The firm is operational. The day after the US treasury imposed sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of London. Its updated address corresponds to a five-star hotel in a central district. The establishments in question said they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had used their postcodes. "This is of major concern that the key individuals the US government states are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan. Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks Experts argue the situation highlights concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the UK capital. The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide. When asked about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals. Contacting Zeuz proved fruitless; its online site, set up in May, was marked as "being built" with lacking information. Operation Headed by Retired Officer According to the American authorities, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the Gulf state. The US accuses this individual of playing a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for running the firm. Another dual national was similarly censured for managing a company accused of handling funds and salaries for the network hiring the Colombian fighters. "During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read. Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict In April of this year, the penalized figures set up a firm in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing over 1,500 civilians. 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 holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one identified as a key controller. Both describe the UK as their "place of residency". Effect on the Conflict and Wider Issues The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the war, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for drones. These drones were key in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," added the expert. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance." He noted that the participation of penalized persons in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when firms are set up. "Owning a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do business with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said. Government Response and Ongoing Allegations A government source stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK firms. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry. One of the fighters recently confirmed that he had instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat 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 Emirati business people supplying 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 demanding an halt to violence, the protection of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access." They noted that the UK had recently imposed restrictions on RSF commanders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.