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

Situated near a shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a plain, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its ordinary facade exists a grim reality: a small flat linked to deadly atrocities unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a transnational network of firms implicated in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside militias charged of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Former Colombian Military Recruited

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

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

As reports of atrocities increase, connections have been found between the mercenaries contracted to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Censured Company

The flat in Tottenham is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and penalized last week by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in documents at Companies House as living in Britain.

The company is operational. The following day the United States announced sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of central London. Its updated address matches one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

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

"It is of major concern that the key individuals the US government states are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Experts say the situation 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 company in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

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

Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, set up in May, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the man at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of having a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a business alleged of handling funds and payroll for the operation hiring the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

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

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

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as holding "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

Both list 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 conflict, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for drones.

These aircraft were 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 long-range drones causing daily fatalities," said the analyst. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support."

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

"Having a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do business with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A government source said that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK companies.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

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

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