South American Mercenaries in Sudan Allegedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies

Situated near the gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a squat, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a dark reality: a cramped second-floor apartment linked to murderous crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a international network of firms involved in the mass recruitment of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside militias charged of numerous war crimes and genocide.

Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of women and children.

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

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

UK Address Connected to Censured Company

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are described in records at Companies House as resident in Britain.

The firm remains active. The following day the US treasury imposed restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of London. Its updated address corresponds to a five-star hotel in a central district.

The establishments in question said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had listed their postcodes.

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," said Mike Lewis, 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 publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a company in the UK capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and sexual violence" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

When questioned about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or verify the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, set up in May, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information.

Network Led by Retired Officer

Per the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer based in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of having a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the firm.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for overseeing a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the network hiring the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was handed over to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one named as a person of "significant control".

The two list the UK 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 course of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These drones proved key 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 civilian deaths," added the expert. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this outside support."

He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are established.

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

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

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 companies.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

One of the fighters recently admitted that he had trained children in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

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

They noted that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF leaders for their role in the crimes in El Fasher.