South American Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies

Tucked away close to the gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a squat, nondescript block of flats. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a grim reality: a cramped flat linked to deadly crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is tied to a transnational web of companies involved in the mass hiring of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous war crimes and genocide.

Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the RSF's capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

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

London Flat Connected to Censured Company

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

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in documents at the UK company registry as living in the United Kingdom.

The firm is active. The following day the United States imposed sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved 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 had no idea why the company had used their addresses.

"This is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," stated 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 people publicly sanctioned 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 "systematic killings, abuse and assault" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s activities or confirm the residency status of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its website, set up in May, was labelled as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Led by Former Soldier

Per the American authorities, the man at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for running the agency.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for overseeing a company alleged of processing money and salaries for the network hiring the mercenaries.

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

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

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

The two describe the UK as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These drones were instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing daily civilian deaths," said the expert. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance."

He noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a London firm underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A government source stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" 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, prompting an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

One of the mercenaries recently confirmed that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to atrocities, the protection of civilians, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery."

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