Image Credentials: Image Title: London Connection: UK-Based Company Linked to Recruitment of Colombian Mercenaries for Sudan’s RSF Source: (sora.openai) Date: December 2025. Attribution: This image was created using AI-generated imagery (sora.openai) and does not depict a real-world scene.
By Open Chronicle Staff with Agencies | December 29, 2025
LONDON — A disturbing investigation has exposed how a north London flat served as the recruitment hub for a transnational network hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight in Sudan’s brutal civil war. The report, initially revealed by The Guardian, details how individuals sanctioned by the United States have utilized British corporate structures to funnel fighters to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group accused of genocide and mass atrocities.
The North London Hub: Zeuz Global
At the heart of the scandal is Zeuz Global, a company registered at a residential address in London. According to UK Companies House records, the firm was established in April 2024 by two individuals recently sanctioned by the US Treasury: Claudia Viviana Oliveros Forero and Mateo Andres Duque Botero.
Key findings from the investigation include:
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Strategic Relocation: Zeuz Global reportedly shifted its primary operations to London immediately after the US imposed sanctions on its directors on December 9, 2025.
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Corporate Vetting Failures: Experts have raised “major concerns” regarding the lack of vetting by UK authorities, which allowed US-sanctioned individuals to register a firm with ₤10,000 in capital and operate a mercenary recruitment ring from British soil.
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The “UAE Connection”: The network is allegedly linked to Alvaro Andres Quijano Becerra, a retired Colombian military officer based in the UAE, who is accused of centralizing the deployment of former Colombian soldiers to Sudan.
🇨🇴🇺🇦🇸🇩🇲🇱 Colombian mercenaries who refused to fight in Ukraine now transferred to Africa — Sudan and Mali. They crossed the border through Turkey & UAE
*Guys, maybe try video games? With your skills, you can earn money there too! pic.twitter.com/SljPCoCvuJ
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) November 2, 2025
The Mercenaries: From Bogota to Darfur
Between 300 and 400 Colombian mercenaries, mostly former members of the Colombian Armed Forces, have reportedly been deployed to Sudan. These fighters have been implicated in some of the war’s most horrific episodes, including:
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Massacres in El-Fasher: Participation in the violent takeover of the city.
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Zamzam Refugee Camp: Alleged involvement in atrocities against displaced civilians.
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Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing: Fighting alongside the RSF in the Darfur region, where the group faces accusations of systematic human rights abuses.
Stakeholders in the Recruitment Network
| Individual | Role | Affiliation | Status |
| Claudia Oliveros | Manager/Owner | A4SI (Bogota) & Zeuz Global (UK) | US Sanctioned |
| Mateo Duque | Manager | Maine Global Corp & Zeuz Global (UK) | US Sanctioned |
| Alvaro Quijano | Recruiter/Officer | Based in the UAE | US Sanctioned |
| Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo | RSF Leader | Paramilitary Group (Sudan) | Internationally Accused |
The Geopolitical Fallout
The involvement of Colombian fighters adds another layer of complexity to a conflict that has already displaced 14 million people. The UAE, which has also been accused of recruiting South American soldiers and providing arms to the RSF, is currently facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) launched by Sudan.
The ease with which this recruitment network infiltrated the UK’s financial and corporate system has sparked a heated debate in Westminster. Critics argue that the UK’s failure to block sanctioned individuals from setting up companies makes the country an unwitting facilitator of global war crimes.
“The notion of US-sanctioned individuals setting up a company in the UK to hire mercenaries is a major concern,” the report states, highlighting the urgent need for structural reform in how the UK monitors foreign-linked firms.