South American Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Hired by British-Based Companies

Situated close to the gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its ordinary facade lies a dark reality: a small second-floor apartment linked to deadly crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a transnational network of firms involved in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread killing of women and children.

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

While reports of violence increase, links have been identified between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

UK Address Connected to Censured Company

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and sanctioned recently by the American authorities for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in documents at Companies House as living in Britain.

The company is active. The day after the US treasury imposed restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the centre of central London. Its updated address corresponds to a luxury accommodation in a central district.

Both hotels stated they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had used their addresses.

"It 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 based from a flat in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks

Analysts say the situation raises concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to 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 faction's capture 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 knowledge of the company's activities or verify the residency status of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz was unsuccessful; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information.

Network Led by Retired Officer

According to the American authorities, the figure at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the Gulf state.

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

Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a business alleged of processing money and payroll for the network employing the mercenaries.

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

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In April of this year, the penalized figures registered a company in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are listed in Companies House records as holding "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control".

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

Impact on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the war, experts state. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for drones.

These drones proved instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," added the expert. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a UK company underlined wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals 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.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A UK official stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an apology from the South American nation's government.

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

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access."

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