South American Mercenaries in Sudan Allegedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies

Situated close to the shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London lies a plain, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its ordinary facade lies a dark reality: a small flat linked to murderous crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in north London is tied to a transnational network of firms implicated in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside militias accused of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Former Colombian Military Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of women and children.

These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives.

As accounts of atrocities mount, connections have been identified between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals named and penalized last week by the American authorities for recruiting 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 company is active. The following day the US treasury imposed restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of central London. Its updated address corresponds to one luxury accommodation in a central district.

The establishments in question stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their postcodes.

"This is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities states are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Oversight

Experts argue the saga highlights questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When asked about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s activities or confirm the location of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz was unsuccessful; its online site, set up in May, was labelled as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Led by Former Soldier

According to the US treasury, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a business accused of handling funds and salaries for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

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

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

Both list the UK as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, trainers, and operators 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 technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," said the analyst. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance."

He noted that the participation of penalized persons in a UK company underlined wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A government source said that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK firms.

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

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

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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