South American Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies

Situated near the shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London lies a plain, nondescript apartment building. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork lies a dark reality: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to murderous crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in the capital is tied to a transnational network of firms involved in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Former South American Soldiers Recruited

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence increase, links have been identified between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

UK Address Connected to Sanctioned Company

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

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in records at the UK company registry as resident in Britain.

The company remains active. The day after the US treasury announced restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its updated address matches one five-star hotel in a central district.

Both hotels said they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had used their postcodes.

"It is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities states are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a flat in north London," stated an expert, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks

Analysts argue the saga highlights questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

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

Contacting Zeuz proved fruitless; its online site, created in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with no contact details.

Operation Headed by Former Soldier

According to the American authorities, the man at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located 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 Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a business accused of processing money and salaries for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual engaged in numerous bank transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals set up a company in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the camp was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

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

The two describe Britain as their "country of residence".

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and pilots for drones.

These drones were instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," said the expert. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance."

He added that the participation of penalized persons in a UK company underlined wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for bad actors 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 said.

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

A government source said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and controlling UK companies.

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

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

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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