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

Situated near a gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in London lies a plain, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its ordinary facade exists a dark secret: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to murderous crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a international network of companies implicated in the mass hiring of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside militias accused of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of women and children.

These contractors were key participants in the RSF's capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

As reports of atrocities increase, links have been identified between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Censured Company

The apartment in north London is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

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

The firm is operational. The following day the US treasury announced restrictions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of London. Its updated address matches one five-star hotel in a central district.

Both hotels said they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had listed their postcodes.

"It is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in the capital," stated an expert, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Checks

Analysts argue the situation highlights questions over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the conflict 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 sexual violence" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s activities or confirm the residency status of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz was unsuccessful; its website, set up in May, was labelled as "under construction" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

According to the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the Gulf state.

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

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a company alleged of handling funds and salaries for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

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

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In spring of this year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

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

The two list Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft were key in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," said the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance 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 UK company highlighted wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are established.

"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 set up a UK company," he said.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A government source stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and running UK companies.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery."

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