South American Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Hired by British-Based Firms

Situated near the shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a squat, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a dark reality: a small second-floor apartment connected to deadly atrocities unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in the capital is tied to a transnational network of firms implicated in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Former South American Soldiers Recruited

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic killing of civilians.

These contractors were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that experts believe has cost over 60,000 lives.

While accounts of violence mount, connections have been found between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in north London is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and penalized last week by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

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

The company is active. The day after the US treasury announced restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of London. Its updated address corresponds to one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

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

"This is of major concern that the key individuals the American authorities claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," said an expert, a researcher and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Checks

Analysts say the saga highlights concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a firm in the UK capital.

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

When asked about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had awareness of the company's activities or confirm the residency status of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, set up in May, was labelled as "being built" with no contact details.

Operation Headed by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the man at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of playing a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the agency.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for overseeing a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the operation hiring the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In spring of this year, the penalized figures set up a company in north London named 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 site was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one named as a person of "significant control".

The two describe Britain as their "country of residence".

Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for drones.

These aircraft proved instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," said the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance."

He noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a London firm underlined wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are established.

"Owning a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" 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 emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is demanding an halt to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery."

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