South American Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Firms

Tucked away close to a gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in London lies a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork exists a dark reality: a cramped flat connected to murderous atrocities unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

Per British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a international network of firms involved in the mass hiring of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of civilians.

These contractors were directly involved in the RSF's capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While accounts of violence mount, connections have been identified between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

UK Address Linked to Censured Company

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

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

The firm remains operational. The day after the US treasury announced sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of London. Its updated address corresponds to one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

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

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in north London," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks

Experts argue 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 firm in the UK capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and assault" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s activities or verify the location of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its website, set up in May, was labelled as "being built" with no contact details.

Operation Headed by Former Soldier

According to the US treasury, the figure at the centre 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 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 running the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the network employing the mercenaries.

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

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In spring of this year, the sanctioned individuals set up a company in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

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

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

Both describe the UK as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the course of the war, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, trainers, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These drones were key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," added the expert. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance."

He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when companies are established.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official said that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

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

The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

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

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