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

Situated close to a shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in London is a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its unremarkable facade lies a dark secret: a cramped second-floor apartment linked to deadly crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in north London is connected to a transnational web of companies implicated in the large-scale hiring of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the RSF's capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While reports of atrocities mount, links have been identified between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

London Flat Linked to Censured Company

The apartment in north London is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in records at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The firm is operational. The day after the United States imposed sanctions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the centre of London. Its new postcode corresponds to a luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

Both hotels stated they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had used their addresses.

"It is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government states are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight

Analysts argue the situation highlights questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly 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 faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

When questioned about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, created in spring, was labelled as "being built" with no contact details.

Network Headed by Retired Officer

According to the American authorities, the figure at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in recruiting ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for running the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a business accused of processing money and salaries for the network hiring the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in numerous bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of this year, the sanctioned individuals set up a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering over 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

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

The two list the UK as their "place of residency".

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These drones proved key in the capture of El Fasher and during combat 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 Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance."

He added that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined broader concerns over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official said that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and running UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged 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 supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access."

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