South American Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Recruited by UK-Registered Firms

Situated near the shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in London lies a plain, nondescript apartment building. Behind its ordinary facade lies a dark reality: a small second-floor apartment connected to murderous crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a international network of companies involved in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous war crimes and genocide.

Hundreds of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of women and children.

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While reports of violence mount, links have been identified between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and penalized last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are described in records at Companies House as living in Britain.

The firm is operational. The following day the US treasury announced sanctions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of London. Its updated address corresponds to one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their postcodes.

"It is of serious worry 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 the capital," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks

Analysts say the saga highlights 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 British capital.

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

When asked about the company, Companies House did not respond on whether it had awareness of the firm’s activities or verify the location of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, set up in spring, was labelled as "being built" with no contact details.

Operation Led by Former Soldier

Per the American authorities, the figure at the heart 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 alleges this individual of having a central role in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a business alleged of processing money and salaries for the operation hiring the mercenaries.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual conducted many wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In April of this year, the penalized figures registered a company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted 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 attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one named as a key controller.

The two describe the UK as their "place of residency".

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the war, experts state. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft proved instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily civilian deaths," said the expert. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance."

He added that the participation of sanctioned individuals 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 license for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

A UK official stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and running UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to 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 United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that UAE nationals supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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