South American Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Hired by UK-Registered Firms

Situated close to the gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London is a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its ordinary facade exists a dark reality: a cramped flat connected to deadly crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a transnational web of companies implicated in the mass hiring of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic killing of civilians.

These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While accounts of atrocities increase, connections have been found between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm

The apartment in north London is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in records at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The firm is active. The following day the United States imposed sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of London. Its updated address corresponds to a five-star hotel in a central district.

Both hotels said they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had used their postcodes.

"It is of major concern that the primary figures the US government claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Checks

Analysts argue the situation raises questions over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the UK capital.

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

When asked about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or verify the residency status of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz was unsuccessful; its online site, set up in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with no contact details.

Network Led by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, 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 United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in recruiting ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the agency.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for managing a business accused of processing money and salaries for the network employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

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

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in Companies House records as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a key controller.

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

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These drones proved instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily civilian deaths," added the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a UK company highlighted broader concerns over the lack of strict vetting when companies are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do deals with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A government source said that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK firms.

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

One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought 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 linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

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

They noted that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.