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

Situated close to a shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a squat, nondescript apartment building. Behind its ordinary facade exists a dark secret: a small second-floor apartment connected to murderous crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a transnational web of firms involved in the mass hiring of mercenaries to combat in the African nation alongside militias charged of myriad atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

While accounts of violence mount, links have been found between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals named and penalized last week by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are described in documents at the UK company registry as resident in Britain.

The company remains operational. The following day the United States imposed restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of London. Its new postcode matches a luxury accommodation in a central district.

Both hotels said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had used their postcodes.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the US government claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in north London," said an expert, a researcher and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Checks

Analysts say the saga highlights concerns over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war 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 "systematic killings, abuse and sexual violence" following the group’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 company's activities or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information.

Network Led by Retired Officer

According to the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military 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 employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a company alleged of handling funds and payroll for the network hiring the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In spring of this year, the penalized figures registered a company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

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

Both list Britain as their "country of residence".

Effect on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the war, experts state. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, foot soldiers, trainers, and pilots for drones.

These drones were key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," added the analyst. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this outside support."

He added that the participation of penalized persons in a London firm underlined broader concerns over the absence of strict vetting when companies are established.

"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 gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and controlling UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged 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 UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that UAE nationals 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 immediate end to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the removal of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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