Tucked away close to a gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in London lies a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork exists a grim reality: a small flat connected to deadly atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.
According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is tied to a international network of firms involved in the mass hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside militias accused of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.
A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of civilians.
Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives.
As reports of violence mount, connections have been identified between the mercenaries contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.
The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and penalized recently by the US treasury for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF.
Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are described in documents at the UK company registry as living in Britain.
The company is operational. The day after the United States imposed sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of central London. Its updated address corresponds to a luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.
The establishments in question stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had listed their postcodes.
"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," said an expert, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.
Analysts argue the saga highlights questions over how people 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 condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.
When questioned about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s activities or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.
Contacting Zeuz was unsuccessful; its online site, set up in spring, was labelled as "being built" with no contact details.
According to the US treasury, the man at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the Gulf state.
The US alleges this individual of having a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the agency.
Another dual national was similarly censured for managing a company accused of processing money and payroll for the network employing the Colombian fighters.
"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.
In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.
Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the camp was transferred to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.
The penalized people are listed in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".
Both list Britain as their "place of residency".
The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the war, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, trainers, and pilots for drones.
These aircraft were key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.
"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," added the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance."
He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a UK company highlighted broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are set up.
"Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do deals with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.
A UK official said that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK firms.
The role of the South Americans 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 trained children in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.
The United Arab Emirates, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.
A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the removal of obstacles to humanitarian access."
They noted that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF commanders for their role in the crimes in El Fasher.
A seasoned gaming enthusiast with over a decade of experience in lottery analysis and casino reviews.
