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

Tucked away close to a gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a squat, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork lies a dark reality: a small flat linked to deadly crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in the capital is tied to a international web of firms implicated in the mass hiring of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside militias accused of numerous war crimes and genocide.

Hundreds of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia 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 directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While accounts of violence mount, links have been found between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in north London is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in documents at the UK company registry as living in the United Kingdom.

The company is operational. The day after the US treasury imposed sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to a five-star hotel in a central district.

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

"This is of major concern that the key individuals the American authorities claims are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks

Experts say the saga raises questions over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to 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 condemned 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 genocide.

When asked about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s activities or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

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

Network Headed by Retired Officer

According to the US treasury, 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 United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of having a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a company alleged of handling funds and salaries for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In April of this year, the penalized figures set up a company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" 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 recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the war, experts state. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, foot soldiers, trainers, and pilots for drones.

These aircraft were key in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily civilian deaths," said 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 involvement of penalized persons in a UK company highlighted broader concerns over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for criminals 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 government source said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and controlling UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the protection of civilians, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access."

They noted that the UK had also sanctioned RSF commanders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.