South American Contractors in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by British-Based Companies

Tucked away close to the shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in London is a squat, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork lies a dark reality: a small flat linked to deadly atrocities unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

Per British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a international web of firms implicated in the mass recruitment of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities and genocide.

Hundreds of Former Colombian Military Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of civilians.

These contractors were directly involved in the RSF's capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While reports of violence increase, links have been found between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

London Flat Linked to Censured Company

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

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are described in documents at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The company is active. The day after the United States imposed sanctions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of London. Its updated address matches a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had listed 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 researcher and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight

Analysts argue the situation raises concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a firm in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured 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 respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s activities or confirm the location of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, set up in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with no contact details.

Network Led by Retired Officer

Per the US treasury, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in recruiting ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for running the firm.

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

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

The two describe Britain as their "country of residence".

Effect on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the war, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft proved instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing daily 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 noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a London firm underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a license 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 stated.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting 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 UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals providing Colombians to the RSF were connected 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 protection of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery."

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