South American Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies

Tucked away near a shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital lies a plain, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its unremarkable facade lies a grim secret: a small flat linked to deadly crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this apartment in the capital is tied to a international network of firms involved in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic killing of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

As accounts of atrocities mount, links have been found between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The apartment in north London is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and penalized recently by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are described in documents at Companies House as resident in Britain.

The company remains active. The following day the United States imposed restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of London. Its updated address matches a five-star hotel in a central district.

The establishments in question said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had listed their addresses.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight

Analysts say the saga highlights questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a firm in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and sexual violence" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

When questioned about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s activities or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals.

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

Network Headed by Retired Officer

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 former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a company accused of handling funds and salaries for the network employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In spring of this year, the penalized figures set up a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was handed over to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

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

The two list the UK as their "place of residency".

Effect on the War and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, foot soldiers, trainers, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft proved key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily fatalities," said the expert. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance."

He noted that the participation of penalized persons in a London firm underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

"Owning 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 establish a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

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

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting an apology 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, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the protection of civilians, and the removal of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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