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

Situated close to a shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a dark reality: a small second-floor apartment connected to murderous crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this apartment in the capital is connected to a transnational web of firms implicated in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to combat in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities and genocide.

Hundreds of Former Colombian Military Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of civilians.

These contractors were key participants in the RSF's seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

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

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and sanctioned recently by the American authorities for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in records at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The company remains operational. The following day the US treasury imposed sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of London. Its new postcode corresponds to one luxury accommodation in a central district.

The establishments in question stated they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their addresses.

"It is of major concern that the primary figures the US government claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a apartment in north London," said an expert, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight

Analysts argue the saga highlights concerns over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a firm in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "organized murder, torture and assault" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about the company, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s activities or confirm the residency status of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, created in spring, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

According to the US treasury, the man at the centre 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 playing a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a business alleged of processing money and payroll for the operation hiring the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted many bank transactions, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In April of the current year, the penalized figures registered a firm in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

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

Both list Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact 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 nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These drones were key in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

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

He added that the involvement of penalized persons in a London firm underlined wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when companies are established.

"Owning a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A UK official said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK companies.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to 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 recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery."

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