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

Tucked away close to a gleaming soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a plain, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork exists a grim secret: a small flat connected 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 network of firms implicated in the large-scale hiring of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

While accounts of atrocities increase, connections have been found between the mercenaries contracted to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

UK Address Connected to Sanctioned Firm

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

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are described in records at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The company remains operational. The following day the US treasury imposed restrictions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of London. Its updated address matches a luxury accommodation in a central district.

Both hotels said they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had listed their postcodes.

"It is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Analysts say the situation highlights concerns 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 British capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and sexual violence" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

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

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its website, set up in spring, was labelled as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Headed by Retired Officer

According to the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US alleges this individual of having a key part in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the firm.

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

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual engaged in numerous bank transactions, totalling many millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In April of this year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing over 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in Companies House records as holding "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a key controller.

Both describe Britain as their "place of residency".

Effect on the War and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and pilots 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 guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," added the expert. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support."

He noted that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are established.

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

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing and controlling UK companies.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the protection of civilians, and the removal of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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