South American Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies

Situated close to the gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in London lies a plain, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its ordinary facade exists a grim secret: a cramped second-floor apartment linked to deadly crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in the capital is tied to a transnational web of companies implicated in the mass hiring of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous war crimes and genocide.

Hundreds of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the widespread killing of women and children.

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has cost over 60,000 lives.

While accounts of atrocities mount, connections have been found between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Company

The flat in Tottenham is registered to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and penalized last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in documents at Companies House as living in Britain.

The firm is active. The following day the United States imposed sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of London. Its new postcode corresponds to one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

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

"It 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 flat in the capital," stated an expert, a researcher and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Experts say the situation raises questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to 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, torture and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, set up in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with lacking information.

Network Headed by Retired Officer

Per the US treasury, the figure 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 United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US alleges this individual of having a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for owning and managing the agency.

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

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual engaged in numerous bank transactions, totalling many millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In April of this year, the sanctioned individuals set up a firm in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing over 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as owning "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a key controller.

Both list Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the War and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

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

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," said the analyst. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance."

He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined broader concerns over the absence of strict vetting when firms are established.

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

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

A UK official said that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and running UK companies.

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

One of the mercenaries recently confirmed that he had trained children in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is demanding an halt to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access."

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