South American Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies

Situated near a shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital lies a squat, nondescript block of flats. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork exists a dark reality: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to murderous atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this apartment in the capital is tied to a transnational network of firms implicated in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside militias accused of myriad war crimes and genocide.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of women and children.

These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has cost over 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence mount, connections have been identified between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in north London is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two people named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are listed in records at Companies House as living in Britain.

The company is operational. The following day the US treasury imposed restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of central London. Its updated address matches one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question said they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had listed their postcodes.

"It is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," stated an expert, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks

Experts say the saga raises questions over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a firm in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and sexual violence" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide.

When asked about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or confirm the residency status of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, created in spring, was labelled as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Led by Retired Officer

Per the US treasury, the man at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of playing a key part in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a company alleged of processing money and salaries for the network hiring the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

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

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in Companies House records as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

The two list Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the War and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, trainers, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft were key in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," said the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support."

He noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when firms are established.

"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.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A government source said that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers 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, leading to an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

One of the mercenaries 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 providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the protection of civilians, and the removal of obstacles to aid delivery."

They added that the UK had also sanctioned RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.