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

Tucked away close to the gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in the British capital is a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork lies a grim secret: a cramped flat connected to murderous crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in the capital is connected to a transnational network of firms implicated in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside militias charged of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Former South American Soldiers Recruited

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the RSF's seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

As reports of atrocities increase, 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 Tottenham is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and penalized last week by the US treasury for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF.

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

The firm remains active. The following day the US treasury imposed restrictions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its updated address corresponds to one luxury accommodation in a central district.

Both hotels stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had used their addresses.

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Experts say the saga raises questions over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a firm in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and sexual violence" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide.

When asked about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz was unsuccessful; its website, created in spring, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details.

Operation Headed by Retired Officer

According to 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 based in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of having a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a company accused of processing money and payroll for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted many wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In spring of this year, the sanctioned individuals registered 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 capture, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are listed in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one identified as a key controller.

Both list Britain as their "place of residency".

Effect on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for drones.

These drones 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 civilian deaths," said the analyst. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a significant part of this outside support."

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

"Owning a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do business with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling UK companies.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

One of the mercenaries 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 Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery."

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