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

Tucked away near the shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital is a squat, nondescript apartment building. Behind its unremarkable facade exists a dark secret: a small second-floor apartment linked to deadly atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a international network of companies implicated in the mass hiring of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities and genocide.

Hundreds of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted

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, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of civilians.

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

As accounts of violence mount, connections have been found between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in north London is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and penalized last week by the American authorities for hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

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

The company is operational. The day after the United States announced sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of central London. Its new postcode matches a luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

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

"It is of major concern that the key individuals the US government claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in the capital," said an expert, a researcher and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight

Experts say the situation raises questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and assault" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s activities or verify the location of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz was unsuccessful; its online site, created in May, was labelled as "under construction" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

Per the US treasury, the man at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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

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

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

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering over 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the camp was handed over to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as owning "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

The two list the UK as their "country of residence".

Impact on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

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

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," said the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He added that the participation of penalized persons in a London firm highlighted broader concerns over the lack of strict vetting when companies are established.

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

Government Response and Continuing Claims

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

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to 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 the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is demanding an halt to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery."

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