Situated close to the shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in London lies a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork lies a grim secret: a cramped flat connected to deadly atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.
Per British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a international network of companies involved in the mass recruitment of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside militias charged of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.
Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted
Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of women and children.
Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives.
While reports of atrocities increase, connections have been found between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.
London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm
The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals named and penalized last week by the American authorities for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.
Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in documents at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.
The company is operational. The day after the US treasury announced sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of London. Its new postcode matches a luxury accommodation in a central district.
The establishments in question stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had listed their postcodes.
"This is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities states are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in north London," stated an expert, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.
Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Checks
Experts argue the situation highlights questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the British capital.
The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and sexual violence" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.
When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the firm’s activities or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.
Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its website, set up in May, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.
Operation Headed by Former Soldier
Per the US treasury, the figure 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 United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The US alleges this individual of playing a key part in recruiting ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His wife was also penalized for running the firm.
Another dual national was similarly censured for managing a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the network hiring the Colombian fighters.
"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.
Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence
In April of the current year, the penalized figures set up a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.
Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.
The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one named as a key controller.
The two list the UK as their "place of residency".
Effect on the War and Broader Concerns
The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, trainers, and pilots for drones.
These drones proved key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.
"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," added the analyst. "These systems 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.
"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.
Official Reaction and Continuing Claims
A government source stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling UK firms.
The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.
One of the mercenaries recently confirmed 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 recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.
A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, 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.
