South American Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Recruited by British-Based Companies

Situated near a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a plain, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its ordinary facade exists a grim secret: a small flat connected to deadly atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is tied to a international web of companies involved in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside militias accused of numerous war crimes and genocide.

Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives.

As reports of atrocities increase, connections have been found between the mercenaries contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Censured Company

The flat in Tottenham is registered to a company named Zeuz Global, established by two people named and penalized recently by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are described in documents at the UK company registry as living in the United Kingdom.

The firm remains active. The following day the United States announced restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its updated address matches a luxury accommodation 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.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities claims are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight

Experts say the saga highlights concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the British capital.

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

When questioned about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had awareness of the company's activities or verify the location of the penalized people.

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

Network Headed by Retired Officer

According to the American authorities, the man at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of having a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His wife was also penalized for running the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a company accused of processing money and salaries for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

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

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was handed over to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

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

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

Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for drones.

These drones were instrumental 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 daily civilian deaths," said the analyst. "These systems 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 sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the absence of strict vetting when firms are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A government source stated that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and controlling UK firms.

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

One of the fighters recently confirmed that he had instructed minors 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 hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an halt to violence, the safety of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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