South American Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Hired by British-Based Firms

Tucked away near a shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable facade lies a dark reality: a small flat connected to murderous crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a transnational network of firms implicated in the mass hiring of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

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 widespread murder of women and children.

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

While accounts of atrocities increase, links have been identified between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Company

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

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in documents at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The firm remains active. The day after the US treasury imposed sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of London. Its updated address matches a luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

Both hotels said they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had listed their postcodes.

"It is of major concern that the primary figures the US government claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in north London," stated an expert, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight

Experts say the saga highlights concerns over how individuals 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 British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and sexual violence" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide.

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

Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, set up in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with no contact details.

Network Headed by Retired Officer

According to the American authorities, the man at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US alleges this individual of having a key part in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the operation employing the mercenaries.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of this year, the penalized figures registered a firm in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering over 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

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

Both describe Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the war, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft proved instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," added the expert. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation 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 rigorous checks when companies are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do business with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and controlling UK companies.

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

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

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

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

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