South American Contractors in Sudan Reportedly Hired by British-Based Companies

Tucked away close to the gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a plain, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its ordinary facade lies a grim reality: a small second-floor apartment linked to murderous atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in the capital is connected to a transnational web of firms implicated in the mass recruitment of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous war crimes and genocide.

Hundreds of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

As accounts of violence increase, connections have been found between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

London Flat Connected to Censured Company

The flat in north London is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are described in documents at the UK company registry as living in Britain.

The company remains active. The following day the United States imposed restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of London. Its updated address corresponds to a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had listed their postcodes.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Checks

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

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and sexual violence" following the faction'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 awareness of the company's activities or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to 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 citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of playing a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a business alleged of processing money and payroll for the operation employing the mercenaries.

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

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

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

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

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as holding "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control".

Both describe Britain as their "country of residence".

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

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 precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," said the expert. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He noted that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A government source stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors 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, prompting an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

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

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access."

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