South American Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Recruited by British-Based Companies

Tucked away near a shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital lies a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a grim reality: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to deadly crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in the capital is tied to a international web of companies involved in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of women and children.

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has cost at least 60,000 lives.

While accounts of atrocities increase, links have been identified between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm

The apartment in north London is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and penalized last week by the US treasury for hiring contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in records at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The firm remains operational. The day after the US treasury announced restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to one five-star hotel in a central district.

The establishments in question stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had listed their addresses.

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in north London," stated an expert, a researcher and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Analysts argue the situation highlights questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the UK capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When asked about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, created in May, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Headed by Retired Officer

Per the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer located in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm.

Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a business alleged of handling funds and salaries for the network employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the penalized figures set up a firm in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering over 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in Companies House records as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a key controller.

The two describe Britain as their "country of residence".

Impact on the War and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, experts state. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for drones.

These drones proved key in the capture 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 daily fatalities," added the expert. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance."

He noted that the participation of penalized persons in a UK company highlighted broader concerns over the lack of strict vetting when firms are set up.

"Owning 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 gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A government source stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and running UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to 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 seen combat in El Fasher.

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the safety of civilians, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery."

They noted that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF leaders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.