South American Mercenaries in Sudan Allegedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies

Tucked away near a shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a squat, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its ordinary facade lies a dark reality: a cramped flat linked to murderous atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in the capital is tied to a international web of companies implicated in the large-scale hiring of fighters to combat in the African nation alongside militias accused of numerous war crimes and genocide.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of civilians.

These contractors were key participants in the RSF's capture 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.

As accounts of violence increase, connections have been found between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in north London is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and penalized last week by the American authorities for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in records at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom.

The firm remains active. The following day the US treasury announced sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the centre of London. Its new postcode corresponds to a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

Both hotels stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had listed their addresses.

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in north London," stated an expert, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks

Analysts say the saga raises questions 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 UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, torture and sexual violence" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide.

When asked about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or confirm the location of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

According to the American authorities, the man at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of having a key part in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the firm.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for managing a company accused of processing money and salaries for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

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

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the camp was transferred to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

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

Both describe Britain as their "country of residence".

Effect on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, foot soldiers, trainers, and pilots for drones.

These drones were instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily civilian deaths," said the analyst. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance."

He noted that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when companies are set up.

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

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK companies.

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

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

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying 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 demanding an halt to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the removal of obstacles to aid delivery."

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