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

Situated near the shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a plain, unremarkable block of flats. Beyond its unremarkable facade lies a grim secret: a small flat connected to murderous atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a transnational network of companies involved in the large-scale hiring of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Enlisted

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of women and children.

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has cost at least 60,000 lives.

While accounts of violence mount, links have been found between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Connected to Censured Company

The apartment in north London is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals named and penalized recently by the American authorities for hiring contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in records at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The company is active. The following day the United States imposed sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of London. Its updated address matches one five-star hotel in a central district.

The establishments in question said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had listed their addresses.

"This is of major concern that the key individuals the US government states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Oversight

Analysts say the situation raises concerns over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the British capital.

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

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

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

Operation Led by Retired Officer

Per the American authorities, the figure at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of playing a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for running the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a business alleged of handling funds and payroll for the operation hiring the mercenaries.

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

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

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

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing 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 owning "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

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

Impact on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the war, experts state. These nationals have reportedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, trainers, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft were key in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," added the expert. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He added that the participation of penalized persons in a London firm underlined wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do deals with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A government source stated that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and running UK firms.

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

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

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

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