South American Mercenaries in Sudan Allegedly Hired by British-Based Companies

Tucked away near a shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a squat, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork exists a dark secret: a small flat connected to murderous atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a transnational web of firms implicated in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to combat in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Recruited

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of civilians.

These contractors were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence increase, links have been identified between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Connected to Censured Firm

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are described in documents at Companies House as resident in Britain.

The company remains operational. The day after the United States imposed sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question said 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 mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in north London," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight

Experts say the saga highlights questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a firm in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

When questioned about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz was unsuccessful; its website, created in May, was labelled as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Led by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of playing a key part in recruiting ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also penalized for running the agency.

Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a company accused of processing money and salaries for the operation employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual conducted many bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was transferred to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are listed in Companies House records as owning "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 Colombians has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for drones.

These aircraft proved key in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily civilian deaths," said the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this outside support."

He noted that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

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 running UK companies.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

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

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of the contractors. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing Colombians to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. 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 removal of barriers to aid delivery."

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