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

Situated close to a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a squat, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork exists a grim reality: a small second-floor apartment linked to murderous crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south.

According to British official documents, this apartment in north London is tied to a transnational web of companies involved in the mass recruitment of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad war crimes and genocide.

Scores of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of women and children.

These contractors 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 experts believe has cost at least 60,000 lives.

While reports of violence increase, links have been identified between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Censured Firm

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

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are described 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 running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of central London. Its updated address corresponds to one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

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

"It is of major concern that the primary figures the US government states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in north London," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight

Analysts say the situation raises questions 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 British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the group’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 firm’s operations or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

According to the US treasury, the man 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 Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for running the agency.

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

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In April of the current year, the penalized figures registered a company in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are listed in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a key controller.

Both list Britain as their "country of residence".

Effect on the War and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, foot soldiers, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

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

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing daily civilian deaths," added the analyst. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are established.

"Owning a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do deals with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A UK official said that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling UK firms.

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 instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an halt to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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