🔗 Share this article South American Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies Situated close to the shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a squat, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a dark reality: a cramped flat linked to murderous crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south. Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a international network of companies implicated in the mass hiring of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous atrocities and genocide. Scores of Former South American Soldiers Recruited Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic killing of civilians. Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives. While accounts of violence increase, connections have been identified between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London. London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm The flat in north London is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and penalized recently by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF. Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in records at Companies House as living in Britain. The firm is operational. The following day the United States announced restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of central London. Its new postcode matches a five-star hotel in Covent Garden. The establishments in question said they had no link 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 states are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan. Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight Experts argue the situation raises questions over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the UK capital. The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide. When questioned about the company, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals. Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information. Operation Led by Retired Officer According to the American authorities, the figure at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the Gulf state. The US alleges this individual of playing a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the agency. Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a business alleged of processing money and salaries for the network hiring the Colombian fighters. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted many wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read. Company Registration and Escalating Violence In spring of this year, the penalized figures registered a firm in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the site was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher. The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control". Both list Britain as their "country of residence". Impact on the War and Broader Concerns The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for drones. These drones proved instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," said the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this outside support." He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are established. "Owning a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do business 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 UK official said that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing and controlling UK companies. The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an apology from the South American nation's government. One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher. The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations. A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery." They noted that the UK had recently imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their role in the crimes in El Fasher.
Situated close to the shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a squat, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a dark reality: a cramped flat linked to murderous crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south. Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a international network of companies implicated in the mass hiring of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous atrocities and genocide. Scores of Former South American Soldiers Recruited Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic killing of civilians. Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives. While accounts of violence increase, connections have been identified between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London. London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm The flat in north London is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and penalized recently by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF. Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in records at Companies House as living in Britain. The firm is operational. The following day the United States announced restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of central London. Its new postcode matches a five-star hotel in Covent Garden. The establishments in question said they had no link 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 states are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan. Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight Experts argue the situation raises questions over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the UK capital. The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide. When questioned about the company, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals. Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information. Operation Led by Retired Officer According to the American authorities, the figure at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the Gulf state. The US alleges this individual of playing a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the agency. Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a business alleged of processing money and salaries for the network hiring the Colombian fighters. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted many wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read. Company Registration and Escalating Violence In spring of this year, the penalized figures registered a firm in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the site was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher. The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control". Both list Britain as their "country of residence". Impact on the War and Broader Concerns The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for drones. These drones proved instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," said the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this outside support." He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are established. "Owning a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do business 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 UK official said that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing and controlling UK companies. The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an apology from the South American nation's government. One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher. The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations. A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery." They noted that the UK had recently imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their role in the crimes in El Fasher.