South American Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by British-Based Firms

Situated near a gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in London is a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its ordinary facade lies a dark reality: a cramped flat connected to murderous atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this apartment in the capital is tied to a international web of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad war crimes and genocide.

Hundreds of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited

Hundreds 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 systematic killing of civilians.

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While reports of violence mount, connections have been found between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and penalized last week by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are described in records at Companies House as resident in Britain.

The firm is operational. The following day the US treasury announced sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of London. Its new postcode matches a luxury accommodation in a central district.

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

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

Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight

Experts say the situation raises 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 "organized murder, abuse and sexual violence" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

When questioned about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not respond on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, set up in May, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

According to the US treasury, the man at the centre 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 alleges this individual of playing a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the firm.

Another dual national was similarly censured for managing a business alleged of processing money and salaries for the operation hiring the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In April of this year, the sanctioned individuals set up a firm in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 civilians. After its capture, 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 holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

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

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These drones proved key in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," added the expert. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance."

He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

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

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A government source said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and running UK companies.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged 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 seen combat in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying fighters 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 atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery."

They added that the UK had also sanctioned RSF commanders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.