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

Situated near a shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital lies a plain, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its ordinary facade lies a grim reality: a small flat connected to murderous atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in the capital is tied to a international network of companies implicated in the large-scale hiring of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside militias charged of numerous atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

While reports of atrocities mount, links have been found between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Censured Company

The flat in north London is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and penalized last week by the US treasury for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in records at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom.

The company is active. The following day the United States announced sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of London. Its new postcode matches a luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

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

"This is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," said an expert, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks

Experts say the saga raises concerns over how individuals openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a firm in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide.

When questioned about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or confirm the location of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, created in May, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Network Led by Former Soldier

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

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the agency.

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

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

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In April of the current year, the penalized figures registered a firm in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing more than 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was handed over to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are listed in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control".

The two describe the UK as their "country of residence".

Impact on the War and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft were instrumental in the fall 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 fatalities," said the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance."

He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted 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 business with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

A government source stated that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK companies.

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 instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment 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 repeatedly rejected these claims.

A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the protection of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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