🔗 Share this article South American Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Recruited by British-Based Companies Tucked away close to the gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital is a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its ordinary facade exists a grim secret: a cramped second-floor apartment linked to deadly crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south. According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a transnational network of firms involved in the large-scale hiring of fighters to combat in the African nation alongside militias accused of myriad war crimes and genocide. Scores of Former Colombian Military Enlisted Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic killing of civilians. These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed at least 60,000 lives. While reports of atrocities mount, connections have been found between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London. London Flat Connected to Censured Firm The apartment in north London is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two people named and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF. Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are described in documents at Companies House as resident in Britain. The company is operational. The following day the US treasury imposed sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the centre of central London. Its new postcode matches a luxury accommodation in a central district. The establishments in question stated they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had used their addresses. "It is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan. Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight Experts say the saga highlights questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the UK capital. The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and assault" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide. When questioned about Zeuz Global, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals. Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, set up in May, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details. Network Headed by Former Soldier According to the American authorities, the man at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 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 sanctioned for owning and managing the agency. Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a company alleged of handling funds and salaries for the network hiring the mercenaries. "During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said. Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict In spring of this year, the penalized figures registered a company in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher. The penalized people are named in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control". The two list the UK as their "country of residence". Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft. These aircraft were instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily civilian deaths," said the expert. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support." He added that the participation of penalized persons in a London firm underlined wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when companies are set up. "Owning a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated. Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK companies. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret 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 UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations. A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access." They noted that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.
Tucked away close to the gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital is a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its ordinary facade exists a grim secret: a cramped second-floor apartment linked to deadly crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south. According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a transnational network of firms involved in the large-scale hiring of fighters to combat in the African nation alongside militias accused of myriad war crimes and genocide. Scores of Former Colombian Military Enlisted Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic killing of civilians. These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed at least 60,000 lives. While reports of atrocities mount, connections have been found between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London. London Flat Connected to Censured Firm The apartment in north London is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two people named and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF. Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are described in documents at Companies House as resident in Britain. The company is operational. The following day the US treasury imposed sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the centre of central London. Its new postcode matches a luxury accommodation in a central district. The establishments in question stated they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had used their addresses. "It is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan. Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight Experts say the saga highlights questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the UK capital. The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and assault" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide. When questioned about Zeuz Global, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals. Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, set up in May, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details. Network Headed by Former Soldier According to the American authorities, the man at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 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 sanctioned for owning and managing the agency. Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a company alleged of handling funds and salaries for the network hiring the mercenaries. "During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said. Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict In spring of this year, the penalized figures registered a company in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher. The penalized people are named in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control". The two list the UK as their "country of residence". Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft. These aircraft were instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily civilian deaths," said the expert. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support." He added that the participation of penalized persons in a London firm underlined wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when companies are set up. "Owning a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated. Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK companies. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret 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 UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations. A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access." They noted that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.