South American Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Recruited by British-Based Companies

Situated near a shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a squat, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a grim secret: a small second-floor apartment connected to deadly crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a transnational network of companies implicated in the mass recruitment of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside militias accused of myriad war crimes and genocide.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Enlisted

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

These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

As accounts of violence increase, links have been found between the mercenaries contracted to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in north London is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two people named and sanctioned recently by the American authorities for hiring contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are described in records at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The company remains active. The day after the US treasury announced sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of London. Its updated address matches one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

Both hotels stated they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had listed 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 apartment in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Checks

Analysts argue the saga highlights 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 British capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, torture and sexual violence" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not respond on whether it had awareness of the firm’s activities or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Operation Headed by Retired Officer

Per the US treasury, the man at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of having a key part in recruiting ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a business alleged of processing money and payroll for the operation employing the mercenaries.

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

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In April of this year, the penalized figures set up a firm in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was handed over to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are listed in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one named as a key controller.

Both describe Britain as their "country of residence".

Impact on the War and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the war, experts state. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and pilots for drones.

These aircraft proved 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 remote aircraft causing daily fatalities," said the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a significant part of this outside support."

He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when companies are set up.

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

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A government source said that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing and controlling UK companies.

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

One of the fighters recently admitted that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access."

They added that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF leaders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.