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

Situated near the gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital lies a squat, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its ordinary facade exists a grim secret: a small flat connected to deadly crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a transnational network of companies involved in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Ex- 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, targeted killings, and the systematic killing of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While accounts of violence mount, links have been identified between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in north London is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two people named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are described in records at Companies House as resident in Britain.

The firm remains active. The day after the United States imposed restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of central London. Its updated address corresponds to a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question said they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had listed their addresses.

"This is of serious worry that the key individuals the US government states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," stated an expert, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

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

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and sexual violence" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When questioned about the company, Companies House 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 was fruitless; its online site, created in spring, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information.

Network Led by Retired Officer

Per the American authorities, the figure at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of playing a key part in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for running the agency.

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

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual conducted many wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the penalized figures set up a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was handed over to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

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

Both list Britain as their "country of residence".

Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

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

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing daily civilian deaths," added the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a significant part of this outside support."

He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when firms are established.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do deals 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 Continuing Claims

A government source said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" 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, prompting an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

One of the fighters recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying fighters 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 immediate end to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery."

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