South American Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Hired by UK-Registered Firms

Tucked away close to a shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London lies a plain, unremarkable block of flats. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork lies a grim secret: a cramped second-floor apartment linked to deadly atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is tied to a international web of firms involved in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside militias charged of myriad war crimes and genocide.

Scores of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of women and children.

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

As reports of violence increase, links have been found between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in north London is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are listed in documents at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The company remains active. The following day the United States announced sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to a five-star hotel in a central district.

Both hotels said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had used their addresses.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the US government states are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," said an expert, a researcher and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight

Analysts say the saga raises questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a firm in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

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

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its website, set up in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

Per the US treasury, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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

Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the network employing the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted many bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of this year, the penalized figures set up a firm in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

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

The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one identified as a key controller.

Both describe the UK as their "country of residence".

Impact on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These drones were key in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing daily fatalities," said the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a London firm underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do business with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A UK official stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

One of the fighters recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the protection of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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