South American Contractors in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Firms

Situated near a gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a plain, nondescript block of flats. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a dark reality: a small second-floor apartment connected to deadly atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this apartment in north London is connected to a transnational web of firms implicated in the mass recruitment of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside militias accused of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Recruited

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread 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 wave of violence that experts believe has cost at least 60,000 lives.

While accounts of violence increase, connections have been found between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Company

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

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in records at the UK company registry as living in the United Kingdom.

The company is operational. The following day the US treasury imposed restrictions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of London. Its updated address corresponds to a luxury accommodation in a central district.

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

"It is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in north London," stated an expert, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Experts argue the situation raises 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 British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and assault" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged 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 verify the residency status of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its online site, created in May, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Headed 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 retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of having a key part in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for running the agency.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for overseeing a business alleged of handling funds and payroll for the operation employing the mercenaries.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in many bank transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of the current year, the penalized figures set up a company in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, killing more than 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the company, with one named as a person of "significant control".

Both list Britain as their "place of residency".

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, trainers, and operators for drones.

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

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing daily civilian deaths," said the expert. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He added that the involvement of penalized persons in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when firms are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors 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 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 United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of the contractors. A report 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 said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery."

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