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

Tucked away near the gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London is a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork lies a grim reality: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to murderous atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a international network of companies involved in the mass recruitment of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence mount, links have been found between the mercenaries contracted to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

UK Address Connected to Sanctioned Company

The flat in Tottenham is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and penalized last week by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are described in documents at Companies House as living in Britain.

The firm is active. The following day 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 new postcode corresponds to a five-star hotel in a central district.

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

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," stated an expert, a researcher and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Oversight

Experts argue the saga highlights questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and sexual violence" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When questioned about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the company's operations or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its website, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Led by Retired Officer

According to the US treasury, the man at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of having a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a business accused of handling funds and salaries for the network employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted many bank transactions, amounting to many 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 the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as owning "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one named as a key controller.

Both list Britain as their "country of residence".

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

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

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing daily fatalities," added the expert. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a significant part of this outside support."

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

"Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do deals with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A UK official said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK companies.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had trained children 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 UAE nationals providing Colombians to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the protection of civilians, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery."

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