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

Situated near a gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a plain, nondescript block of flats. Behind its unremarkable facade lies a grim secret: a small second-floor apartment connected to murderous crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in the capital is connected to a international web of companies involved in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous war crimes and genocide.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of civilians.

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ 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.

As accounts of atrocities mount, connections have been found between the mercenaries contracted to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

UK Address Linked to Censured Company

The flat in Tottenham is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established 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 records at Companies House as resident in Britain.

The company is active. The day after the US treasury announced restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its updated address corresponds to one five-star hotel in a central district.

Both hotels said they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had used their addresses.

"This is of major concern that the key individuals the American authorities claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," said an expert, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight

Analysts say the saga highlights concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, torture and sexual violence" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

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

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, set up in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with no contact details.

Operation Led by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the figure at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US alleges this individual of having a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for owning and managing the agency.

Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a company alleged of handling funds and salaries for the operation hiring the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted many wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals set up a company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as owning "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

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

Effect on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and pilots for drones.

These aircraft were instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," added the expert. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this outside support."

He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre 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 "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers 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 seen combat in El Fasher.

The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of obstacles to aid delivery."

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