South American Mercenaries in Sudan Allegedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies

Situated near the shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in London is a squat, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable facade lies a dark secret: a cramped flat linked to murderous crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a international web of companies implicated in the mass hiring of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of civilians.

These contractors were key participants in the RSF's seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has cost over 60,000 lives.

As accounts of violence mount, connections have been found between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

UK Address Connected to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in Tottenham is registered to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and sanctioned recently by the American authorities for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in records at the UK company registry as resident in Britain.

The firm is operational. The following day the US treasury announced restrictions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its updated address corresponds to a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

Both hotels said they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had used their addresses.

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," stated an expert, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight

Experts say the situation highlights concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide.

When questioned about the company, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or confirm the location of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its website, created in spring, was labelled as "being built" with no contact details.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

Per the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of having a central role in recruiting ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm.

Another dual national was similarly censured for managing a company accused of processing money and payroll for the operation hiring the mercenaries.

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

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals set up a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

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

Both list the UK as their "country of residence".

Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the course of the war, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, trainers, and operators for drones.

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 precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily civilian deaths," added the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support."

He noted that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the lack of strict vetting when companies are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do business with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

A government source said that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an apology from the South American nation's government.

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

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters 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 halt to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery."

They noted that the UK had also sanctioned RSF commanders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.