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

Situated close to the gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in London lies a squat, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable facade lies a grim reality: a small flat linked to deadly crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in north London is connected to a transnational web of firms involved in the mass hiring of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside militias charged of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the widespread killing of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the RSF's capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While accounts of atrocities increase, links have been found between the mercenaries contracted to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Censured Company

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals named and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are described in records at the UK company registry as living in the United Kingdom.

The company is operational. The day after the United States announced restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of London. Its updated address matches one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had used their addresses.

"It is of serious worry 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 an expert, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Analysts argue the situation raises concerns over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the British capital.

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

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

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Operation Headed by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in recruiting ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also penalized for running the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a company accused of handling funds and salaries for the operation employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted many wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In April of the current year, the penalized figures set up a company in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

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

The penalized people are listed in Companies House records as owning "starting shares" in the company, with one named as a person of "significant control".

Both list the UK as their "place of residency".

Impact on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

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

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing daily fatalities," added the analyst. "These systems 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 UK company highlighted wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when companies are established.

"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 gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

A government source stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement 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 instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is demanding an halt to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access."

They noted that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF commanders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.