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

Tucked away close to the shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital is a squat, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork lies a grim reality: a cramped flat linked to murderous crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in the capital is connected to a transnational web of companies involved in the mass recruitment of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside militias charged of myriad war crimes and genocide.

Hundreds of Former Colombian Military Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of women and children.

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has cost at least 60,000 lives.

As accounts of violence increase, links have been identified between the mercenaries contracted to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Censured Firm

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as living in the United Kingdom.

The firm is operational. The day after the United States announced sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of London. Its updated address matches one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

Both hotels stated they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had used their addresses.

"It is of serious worry that the key individuals the US government states are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Oversight

Experts say the situation raises concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a company in the UK capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

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

Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information.

Network Headed by Former Soldier

According to the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer located in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of having a central role in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a company accused of processing money and salaries for the operation hiring the mercenaries.

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

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a key controller.

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

Effect on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, trainers, and operators for drones.

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 precision munitions and long-range drones causing daily civilian deaths," said the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this outside support."

He added that the participation of penalized persons in a London firm underlined wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are established.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official said that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and controlling UK companies.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

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

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to atrocities, the protection of civilians, and the removal of obstacles to aid delivery."

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