South American Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Recruited by British-Based Companies

Situated near the shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a plain, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork exists a grim secret: a cramped second-floor apartment linked to deadly atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this apartment in north London is connected to a transnational web of firms implicated in the mass hiring of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic killing of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While accounts of atrocities mount, links have been identified between the mercenaries contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm

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

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as living in Britain.

The firm is active. The following day the US treasury imposed restrictions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of central London. Its updated address corresponds to a luxury accommodation in a central district.

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

"It is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company operating from a flat in north London," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Oversight

Experts say the situation raises concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, torture and sexual violence" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When questioned about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the company's operations or verify the residency status of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, created in May, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Network Headed by Former Soldier

According to the US treasury, the figure 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 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 running the agency.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for managing a business alleged of handling funds and salaries for the network employing the mercenaries.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of this year, the penalized figures set up a company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

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

The two list Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the course of the war, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

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

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

He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company highlighted broader concerns over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

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

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A government source said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling UK companies.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery."

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