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

Situated near the shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital is a squat, nondescript block of flats. Behind its ordinary facade exists a grim reality: a small flat linked to deadly atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a transnational web of companies involved in the mass recruitment of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside militias charged of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores 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 armed faction blamed for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives.

As reports of atrocities increase, links have been identified between the mercenaries contracted to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Censured Company

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are described in documents at Companies House as living in Britain.

The company is operational. The following day the United States announced restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the centre of London. Its updated address matches one luxury accommodation in a central district.

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

"It is of major concern that the primary figures the US government claims are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company operating from a flat in north London," said an expert, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight

Analysts say the situation highlights concerns over how individuals openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a company in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and assault" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When asked about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, set up in May, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Headed by Retired Officer

Per the US treasury, the figure 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 alleges this individual of having a central role in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the firm.

Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a business accused of handling funds and salaries for the network employing the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

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

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the company, 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 hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for drones.

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

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," added the expert. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support."

He noted that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined broader concerns over the lack of strict vetting when firms are established.

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

Government Response and Continuing Claims

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

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the protection of civilians, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access."

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