South American Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Firms

Situated near a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London is a plain, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its unremarkable facade lies a grim secret: a small second-floor apartment connected to murderous crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this apartment in north London is connected to a transnational network of firms involved in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to combat in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Former South American Soldiers Recruited

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic killing of civilians.

These contractors were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

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

UK Address Connected to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in north London is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in documents at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The company remains operational. The day after the US treasury announced sanctions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of London. Its updated address corresponds to one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question said they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had listed their addresses.

"It is of serious worry that the key individuals the US government claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a flat in north London," stated an expert, a researcher and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Oversight

Experts say the saga raises concerns over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a firm in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, torture and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide.

When questioned about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the company's activities or confirm the location of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Network Headed by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the man at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer located in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for running the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the network hiring the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In April of the current year, the penalized figures set up a firm in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

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

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

Both describe Britain as their "country of residence".

Effect on the War and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the war, experts state. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These drones proved instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

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

He added that the participation of penalized persons in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when companies are established.

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

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official said that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and controlling UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an apology from the South American nation's government.

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

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the safety of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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