South American Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by British-Based Firms

Tucked away near a shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in London is a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork exists a grim secret: a cramped flat linked to murderous atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in the capital is connected to a international network of companies involved in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to combat in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic killing of women and children.

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

While reports of violence increase, connections have been identified between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Company

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

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as resident in Britain.

The company is active. The day after the US treasury imposed sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of London. Its new postcode corresponds to one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

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

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in north London," said an expert, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Analysts argue the saga highlights concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a company in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary 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 genocide.

When asked about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or confirm the location of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, set up in spring, was labelled as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Led by Retired Officer

According to the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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

Another dual national was similarly censured for managing a business alleged of handling funds and salaries for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

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

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of this year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm 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 the hired fighters, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are listed in Companies House records as holding "starting shares" in the firm, with one identified as a key controller.

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

Effect on the War and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, trainers, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These drones were instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

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

He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with legitimate counterparts. 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 government source stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and controlling UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is demanding an halt to violence, the protection of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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