South American Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies

Tucked away near the gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable facade exists a dark reality: a small second-floor apartment linked to murderous atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a transnational web of companies implicated in the mass hiring of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside militias charged of myriad war crimes and genocide.

Hundreds of Former Colombian Military Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group 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 late October, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While reports of atrocities increase, connections have been identified between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

UK Address Linked to Censured Company

The flat in Tottenham is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and penalized last week by the US treasury for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in records at the UK company registry as resident in Britain.

The firm remains active. The day after the US treasury announced restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of central London. Its updated address corresponds to a luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their postcodes.

"It is of serious worry that the key individuals the US government claims are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in north London," stated an expert, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Experts argue the situation highlights questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the UK capital.

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

When questioned about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s activities or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

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

Network Led by Retired Officer

Per the American authorities, the man at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US alleges this individual of playing a key part in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for running the agency.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for overseeing a company accused of handling funds and salaries for the network hiring the Colombian fighters.

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

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of the current year, the penalized figures set up a firm in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in Companies House records as holding "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one identified as a key controller.

Both describe Britain as their "country of residence".

Effect on the War and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the course of the war, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, foot soldiers, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These drones proved instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," said the analyst. "These systems require external help 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 absence of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do deals with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

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

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals supplying fighters to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery."

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