South American Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Recruited by UK-Registered Firms

Situated close to a shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in London lies a squat, nondescript block of flats. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a grim reality: a small flat linked to murderous atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this apartment in north London is connected to a transnational network of companies implicated in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of women and children.

These contractors were key participants in the RSF's capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has cost over 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence mount, links have been identified between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

UK Address Connected to Censured Company

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

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

The company is active. The following day the US treasury announced sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the centre of London. Its updated address matches one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had used their addresses.

"It is of serious worry that the key individuals the US government claims are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in north London," stated an expert, a researcher and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight

Analysts argue the saga raises concerns over how individuals openly censured by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" 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 respond on whether it had awareness of the firm’s activities or confirm the location of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details.

Network Headed by Former Soldier

Per the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based 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 Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His spouse was also penalized for running the agency.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for overseeing a business accused of processing money and salaries for the operation hiring 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 official announcement said.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In April of the current year, the penalized figures registered 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 civilians. After its seizure, the site was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in Companies House records as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a key controller.

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

Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, 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 technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," said the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this outside support."

He noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a London firm underlined wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when firms are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

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

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to 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 investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the protection of civilians, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access."

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