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

Tucked away near the gleaming soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a squat, nondescript block of flats. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a dark secret: a cramped flat linked to murderous crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in the capital is connected to a transnational network of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to combat in the African nation alongside militias accused of myriad atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

While accounts of atrocities increase, links have been found between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in north London is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and penalized recently by the American authorities for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in records at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom.

The company is operational. The following day the US treasury imposed sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its updated address 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 company had used their addresses.

"It is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight

Analysts argue the saga highlights concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a company in the UK capital.

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

When questioned about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the company's operations or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

According to the US treasury, the man at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the agency.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for overseeing a business accused of processing money and payroll for the network hiring the mercenaries.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

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

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was transferred to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

The two describe the UK as their "country of residence".

Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for drones.

These aircraft proved key in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," added the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support."

He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when companies are set up.

"Owning 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 said.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and running UK companies.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the protection of civilians, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery."

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