South American Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Recruited by British-Based Firms

Situated close to the gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in the British capital is a squat, unremarkable block of flats. Beyond its ordinary facade lies a grim secret: a small flat linked to deadly crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south.

According to British official documents, this apartment in the capital is tied to a transnational network of companies involved in the large-scale hiring of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread killing of civilians.

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

While accounts of atrocities mount, connections have been identified between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

UK Address Connected to Sanctioned Company

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

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in documents at the UK company registry as resident in Britain.

The company is operational. The day after the United States announced sanctions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of central London. Its updated address corresponds to one five-star hotel in a central district.

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 key individuals the American authorities states are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Experts say the situation raises concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a firm in the UK capital.

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

When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or verify the location of the penalized people.

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

Operation Led by Retired Officer

According to the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US alleges this individual of playing a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent 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 similarly censured for overseeing a business accused of handling funds and salaries for the operation employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was handed over to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

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

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

Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, trainers, and pilots for drones.

These aircraft proved instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and long-range drones 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 added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish 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 greater assurance about who was establishing and running UK companies.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery."

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