South American Contractors in Sudan Reportedly Hired by British-Based Companies

Tucked away near the gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in the British capital is a squat, unremarkable block of flats. Beyond its ordinary facade exists a grim reality: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to deadly atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in north London is tied to a international web of firms involved in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives.

As reports of atrocities increase, links have been identified between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Censured Firm

The flat in Tottenham is registered to a company named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom.

The firm remains operational. The day after the US treasury imposed restrictions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of central London. Its updated address matches a luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

Both hotels stated they had no connection 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 orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in north London," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight

Analysts argue the saga highlights concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a firm in the UK capital.

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

When questioned about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or confirm the location of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its website, set up in May, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

Per the US treasury, the man at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of playing a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a company alleged of processing money and payroll for the network hiring the mercenaries.

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

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

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

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in Companies House records as owning "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

The two describe Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These drones were instrumental 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 fatalities," said the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support."

He added that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted broader concerns over the absence of strict vetting when firms are established.

"Owning 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 set up a UK company," he said.

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

A UK official stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide greater assurance 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 fighters recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is demanding an halt to violence, the safety of civilians, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access."

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