South American Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Recruited by British-Based Firms

Situated near a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital is a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a dark secret: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to deadly atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.

Per British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a international web of firms implicated in the mass recruitment of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside militias accused of numerous war crimes and genocide.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Recruited

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

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

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

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in Tottenham is registered to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals named and penalized last week by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are described in documents at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The company is active. The day after the US treasury announced sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of central London. Its updated address matches one luxury accommodation in a central district.

The establishments in question stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their postcodes.

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight

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

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

When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not comment on whether it had awareness of the company's activities or confirm the residency status of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, created in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with no contact details.

Operation Headed by Former Soldier

According to the American authorities, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US alleges this individual of playing a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers 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 salaries for the operation employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of the current year, the penalized figures registered a company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

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

The two list the UK as their "country of residence".

Impact on the War and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, foot soldiers, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These drones proved instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting 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 Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance."

He added that the involvement of penalized persons in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

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

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A government source stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling UK companies.

The Colombians’ involvement 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 United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

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

They noted that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.