South American Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Hired by UK-Registered Firms

Tucked away close to the shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in the British capital is a plain, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its ordinary facade lies a grim secret: a small second-floor apartment linked to murderous atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a transnational web of companies involved in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of women and children.

These contractors were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives.

As accounts of violence increase, connections have been identified between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in north London is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and sanctioned recently by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are described in records at the UK company registry as living in the United Kingdom.

The firm remains active. The day after the United States imposed sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to one five-star hotel in a central district.

The establishments in question stated they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had used their postcodes.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the US government states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight

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

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and sexual violence" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When questioned about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s activities or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Led by Retired Officer

According to the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm.

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

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted many bank transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In April of this year, the sanctioned individuals set up a company in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are listed in Companies House records as owning "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

The two describe the UK as their "country of residence".

Effect on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and pilots for drones.

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 long-range drones causing daily civilian deaths," said the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this outside support."

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

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and running UK companies.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

One of the mercenaries recently confirmed that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.

The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

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

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