South American Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Hired by UK-Registered Firms

Situated near the gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a squat, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork lies a dark reality: a small flat linked to murderous crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to UK government records, this apartment in the capital is tied to a international network of firms implicated in the mass hiring of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside militias accused of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of civilians.

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a killing frenzy that experts believe has cost at least 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence increase, connections have been found between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Company

The flat in Tottenham is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in records at Companies House as living in Britain.

The firm is operational. The following day the US treasury imposed restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of central London. Its updated address matches one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

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

"It is of major concern that the primary figures the US government states are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a apartment in north London," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Experts say the saga raises questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a company in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and sexual violence" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide.

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

Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its online site, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Operation Headed by Former Soldier

According to the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US alleges this individual of playing a key part in recruiting ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a business accused of processing money and salaries for the network employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual conducted many wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

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

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, 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 penalized people are listed in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one identified as a key controller.

The two list 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 conflict, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for drones.

These aircraft were key 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 remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," added the analyst. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a significant part of this outside support."

He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the absence of strict vetting when companies are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do business with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a gym 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 "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling UK companies.

The Colombians’ involvement 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 UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is demanding an halt to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access."

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