South American Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies

Situated close to the gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a squat, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its ordinary beige brickwork lies a grim reality: a cramped second-floor apartment linked to murderous crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a international web of companies implicated in the mass recruitment of fighters to combat in the African nation alongside militias charged of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of women and children.

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives.

While accounts of atrocities increase, links have been identified between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Linked to Censured Company

The flat in Tottenham is registered to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and sanctioned recently by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in documents at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The company is active. The day after the United States announced restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of London. Its new postcode corresponds to a luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question said they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had used their addresses.

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks

Analysts argue the saga raises concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

When questioned about the company, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

According to the American authorities, the man at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in recruiting ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the agency.

Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a company accused of processing money and salaries for the operation employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual engaged in numerous bank transactions, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

The two list Britain as their "country of residence".

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for drones.

These drones proved instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," said the analyst. "These weapons 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 wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when firms are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and controlling UK companies.

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

One of the fighters recently confirmed that he had trained children in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A report alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access."

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