South American Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Recruited by British-Based Companies

Situated close to a gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London lies a squat, unremarkable block of flats. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a grim reality: a cramped flat linked to deadly atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in north London is tied to a international web of firms involved in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to combat in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad war crimes and genocide.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has cost over 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence increase, links have been found between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

London Flat Connected to Censured Company

The flat in Tottenham is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in records at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom.

The company remains active. The following day the US treasury imposed restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of London. Its new postcode matches a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

Both hotels said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their postcodes.

"It is of major concern that the key individuals the US government claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in north London," said an expert, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight

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

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, torture and assault" 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 awareness of the firm’s activities or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, created in spring, was labelled as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Led by Former Soldier

Per the American authorities, the figure at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of playing a key part 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 overseeing a company alleged of handling funds and payroll for the operation employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in many bank transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In April of this year, the penalized figures registered a firm in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

Both describe Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the war, experts state. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, foot soldiers, trainers, and pilots for drones.

These drones were instrumental in the capture 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 regular fatalities," said the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a significant part of this outside support."

He noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a London firm highlighted broader concerns over the absence of strict vetting when firms are established.

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

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A government source said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

One of the mercenaries recently confirmed that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the safety of civilians, and the removal of obstacles to aid delivery."

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