South American Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Hired by UK-Registered Firms
Tucked away close to the gleaming soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a plain, nondescript apartment building. Behind its unremarkable facade exists a grim secret: a small second-floor apartment linked to deadly crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south.
According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a transnational web of firms implicated in the large-scale hiring of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside militias accused of myriad atrocities and genocide.
Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Recruited
A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of civilians.
Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ 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 accounts of atrocities increase, connections have been identified between the mercenaries contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.
London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Firm
The flat in Tottenham is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.
Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in records at Companies House as living in Britain.
The company is operational. The following day the US treasury announced restrictions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of central London. Its updated address corresponds to a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.
The establishments in question stated they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had used their postcodes.
"It is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.
Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks
Experts argue the saga raises concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the UK capital.
The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and sexual violence" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.
When asked about the company, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s activities or confirm the location of the penalized people.
Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, created in May, was labelled as "being built" with no contact details.
Network Led by Retired Officer
According to the American authorities, the man at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer located in the Gulf state.
The US alleges this individual of having a central role in recruiting ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for owning and managing the agency.
Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a company accused of handling funds and salaries for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.
"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual engaged in many bank transactions, totalling many millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.
Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict
In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.
Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.
The penalized people are named in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".
The two list the UK as their "place of residency".
Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns
The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.
These drones proved instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.
"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily civilian deaths," added the expert. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this outside support."
He added that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are established.
"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.
Government Response and Continuing Claims
A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and controlling UK firms.
The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting an apology from the South American nation's government.
One of the fighters recently confirmed that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.
The UAE, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing 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 demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access."
They added that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.