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

Tucked away near a shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in London lies a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork exists a grim secret: a small flat linked to murderous atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is tied to a international network of firms involved in the mass hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread killing of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives.

While reports of atrocities mount, links have been found between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The apartment in north London is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are listed in records at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The firm remains operational. The following day the US treasury announced restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of central London. Its updated address matches a five-star hotel in a central district.

Both hotels said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had listed their addresses.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the US government states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in north London," stated an expert, a analyst and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks

Experts say the situation raises concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a company in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, torture and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When questioned about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not comment on whether it had awareness of the company's activities or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz proved fruitless; its online site, created in spring, was labelled as "being built" with lacking information.

Operation Headed by Retired Officer

Per the US treasury, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army 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 employment agency. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the agency.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for overseeing a company accused of processing money and salaries for the operation hiring the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted many wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

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

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was handed over to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

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

Both describe the UK as their "country of residence".

Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These drones proved key in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," said the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this outside support."

He added that the participation of penalized persons in a London firm underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks 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 gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and controlling UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an apology from the South American nation's government.

One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery."

They added that the UK had also sanctioned RSF leaders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.