South American Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by British-Based Firms

Situated close to a gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in London is a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its ordinary facade exists a dark reality: a cramped flat linked to murderous crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in north London is tied to a transnational network of companies implicated in the mass hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside militias accused of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic killing of civilians.

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence increase, connections have been found between the mercenaries contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and sanctioned recently by the American authorities for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in records at Companies House as resident in Britain.

The firm is operational. The following day the US treasury imposed sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of central London. Its updated address matches one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question stated they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had listed their postcodes.

"It is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," stated an expert, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Experts say the saga raises concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a firm in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and sexual violence" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about the company, Companies House did not respond on whether it had awareness of the firm’s activities or verify the location of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Former Soldier

According to the US treasury, the man at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer based in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of having a key part in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for running the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a company alleged of handling funds and payroll for the network employing the mercenaries.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, 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 company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a key controller.

The two list the UK as their "country of residence".

Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the war, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft were 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 long-range drones causing daily fatalities," added the expert. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support."

He added that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when firms are set up.

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

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and running UK firms.

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 trained children in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment 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 repeatedly rejected these claims.

A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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