South American Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Hired by British-Based Firms

Situated near a shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in London lies a squat, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork exists a grim secret: a small second-floor apartment linked to deadly crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in north London is tied to a international network of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- 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 widespread killing of civilians.

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives.

While accounts of violence increase, connections have been found between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

UK Address Connected to Censured Company

The apartment in north London is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in records at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The firm remains active. The day after the US treasury imposed restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

Both hotels said they had no connection 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 states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," stated an expert, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Checks

Experts argue the saga raises questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate 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 accused by the US with genocide.

When questioned about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or verify the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz was unsuccessful; its website, set up in spring, was labelled as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Headed by Retired Officer

Per the American authorities, the figure at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer based in the Gulf state.

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

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

"In 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 said.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of this year, the penalized figures set up a company in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was handed over to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a key controller.

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

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and pilots for drones.

These drones were instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," said the analyst. "These weapons 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 UK company underlined broader concerns over the lack of strict vetting when firms are set up.

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

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

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 role of the South Americans 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 fought in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians 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 safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery."

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