South American Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Recruited by British-Based Firms

Tucked away close to a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a plain, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its unremarkable facade exists a dark secret: a small flat connected to deadly atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this apartment in north London is connected to a international network of companies involved in the large-scale hiring of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While accounts of violence mount, links have been identified between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

UK Address Connected to Sanctioned Firm

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

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in documents at the UK company registry as resident in Britain.

The company remains operational. The following day the US treasury imposed restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of central London. Its updated address matches a luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

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

"It is of serious worry that the key individuals the US government claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in north London," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Experts argue 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 company in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "organized murder, torture and sexual violence" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

When questioned about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s activities or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, set up in May, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Led by Retired Officer

According to 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 alleges this individual of having a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also penalized for running the agency.

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

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the penalized figures registered a company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in Companies House records as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a key controller.

The two list the UK as their "country of residence".

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the course of the war, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft proved key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily civilian deaths," added the expert. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support."

He added that the involvement of penalized persons in a London firm underlined broader concerns over the lack of strict vetting when firms are set up.

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

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official said that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and running UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an apology from the South American nation's government.

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

The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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