South American Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Hired by UK-Registered Firms

Situated near a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London is a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a grim secret: a cramped flat connected to murderous crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is tied to a international network of companies involved in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous atrocities and genocide.

Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence increase, connections have been found between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

UK Address Connected to Censured Firm

The flat in Tottenham is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and penalized last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are described in records at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The firm remains active. The day after the United States announced restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of London. Its new postcode matches one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

Both hotels stated they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had listed their postcodes.

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

Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks

Analysts argue the saga raises questions over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a firm in the British capital.

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

When questioned about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s activities or confirm the residency status of the penalized people.

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

Operation Headed by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the figure 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 having a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His wife was also penalized for running the agency.

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

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

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of this year, the penalized figures 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 more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

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

Impact on the War and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for drones.

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

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily fatalities," added 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 added that the involvement of penalized persons in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

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

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A UK official stated that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and controlling UK firms.

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 fighters recently confirmed that he had trained children in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

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

A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of obstacles to humanitarian access."

They added that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF commanders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.