Situated close to the gleaming soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in London lies a plain, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its unremarkable facade exists a grim reality: a small second-floor apartment connected to deadly atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.
Per UK government records, this apartment in north London is tied to a transnational web of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to combat in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad atrocities and genocide.
Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted
Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of civilians.
These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives.
As accounts of atrocities mount, links have been identified between the mercenaries contracted to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.
UK Address Connected to Censured Company
The flat in north London is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.
Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are described in documents at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.
The company is operational. The day after the United States imposed restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode matches one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.
The establishments in question stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had used their addresses.
"It is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities states are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.
Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight
Experts say the saga highlights questions over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the British capital.
The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.
When asked about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had awareness of the company's operations or confirm the location of the penalized people.
Reaching out to Zeuz was unsuccessful; its online site, created in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with lacking information.
Operation Headed by Retired Officer
According to the American authorities, the man at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the Gulf state.
The US alleges this individual of playing a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for running the agency.
Another dual national was also sanctioned for overseeing a business accused of processing money and salaries for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.
"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual engaged in many bank transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.
Company Registration and Escalating Violence
In spring of this year, the penalized figures registered a company in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.
Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.
The penalized people are listed in Companies House records as owning "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one identified as a key controller.
Both list Britain as their "country of residence".
Effect on the War and Broader Concerns
The recruitment of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the war, experts state. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.
These aircraft proved instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.
"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," said the expert. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a significant part of this external assistance."
He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when firms are established.
"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors 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 UK official said that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing 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 admitted that he had trained children in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.
The UAE, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.
A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the removal of obstacles to aid delivery."
They added that the UK had also sanctioned RSF leaders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.
