South American Contractors in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Firms

Situated close to the gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in London lies a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its unremarkable facade exists a dark reality: a small flat connected to deadly atrocities unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

According to UK government records, this apartment in north London is tied to a transnational web of companies involved in the mass recruitment of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of women and children.

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives.

As reports of atrocities increase, links have been found between the mercenaries contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Censured Company

The flat in Tottenham is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, established by two people named and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are described in records at the UK company registry as resident in Britain.

The firm is operational. The day after the US treasury imposed sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of London. Its updated address matches one five-star hotel in a central district.

Both hotels stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had used their postcodes.

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in north London," stated an expert, a researcher and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Oversight

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

The British foreign secretary has censured 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 genocide.

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

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its website, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Headed by Retired Officer

Per the US treasury, the figure at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a company accused of processing money and payroll for the network employing the Colombian fighters.

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

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In April of the current year, the penalized figures registered a firm in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

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

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as owning "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a key controller.

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

Effect on the War and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for drones.

These drones were key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," said the analyst. "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 participation of penalized persons in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the lack of strict vetting when firms are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do business with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official said that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and running UK companies.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an expression of regret 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, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an halt to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the removal of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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