South American Mercenaries in Sudan Allegedly Hired by British-Based Companies

Tucked away close to a shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable facade lies a grim reality: a small flat connected to deadly crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this apartment in north London is connected to a international web of firms involved in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Former South American Soldiers Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder 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 killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

As reports of atrocities increase, links have been found between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Censured Company

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and penalized recently by the American authorities for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in documents at the UK company registry as resident in Britain.

The firm is operational. The day after the United States announced restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of London. Its updated address corresponds to a five-star hotel in a central district.

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

"It is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in north London," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Experts say the situation highlights questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to 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 assault" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When asked about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had awareness of the company's operations or confirm the residency status of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz proved fruitless; its online site, created in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

Per the American authorities, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer located in the Gulf state.

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

Another dual national was similarly censured for managing a company alleged of handling funds and payroll for the operation hiring the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual engaged in many bank transactions, totalling many millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a company in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing more than 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one named as a key controller.

Both list Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the War and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the war, experts state. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft were instrumental 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," said 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 involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do deals with respectable entities. It's still more difficult 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 recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK companies.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

One of the fighters recently confirmed 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 linked to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals providing 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 violence, the safety of civilians, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access."

They noted that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF leaders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.