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

Tucked away near the shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a dark reality: a small flat connected to deadly crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a international network of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has cost at least 60,000 lives.

While reports of atrocities mount, connections have been identified between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Censured Firm

The apartment in north London is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and sanctioned recently by the American authorities for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are described in records at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The company remains active. The day after the United States imposed restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of London. Its new postcode matches one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had listed their addresses.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities claims are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in north London," stated an expert, a analyst and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks

Experts argue the situation highlights concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and sexual violence" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

When questioned about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, set up in May, was labelled as "being built" with no contact details.

Operation Led by Former Soldier

Per the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer based in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of having a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for running the firm.

Another dual national was similarly censured for managing a business alleged of handling funds and payroll for the network hiring the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

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

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in Companies House records as owning "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one named as a person of "significant control".

The two describe the UK as their "place of residency".

Impact on the War and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the war, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft proved instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," said the expert. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He added that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A government source said that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and controlling 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 mercenaries recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying fighters 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 demanding an halt to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access."

They added that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF commanders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.