South American Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Recruited by British-Based Companies

Tucked away near the gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in London lies a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork exists a dark reality: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to murderous crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in north London is connected to a international network of companies implicated in the mass recruitment of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous atrocities and genocide.

Hundreds of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited

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

These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has cost at least 60,000 lives.

As reports of atrocities mount, links have been found between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Linked to Censured Firm

The apartment in north London is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are listed in records at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The firm remains operational. The following day the US treasury imposed sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of central London. Its updated address matches one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

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

"It is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in the capital," said an expert, a researcher and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Experts argue the situation raises questions over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a company in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the group’s seizure 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 awareness of the company's operations or verify the location of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, created in May, was labelled as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Led by Former Soldier

Per the American authorities, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation 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 playing a key part in recruiting ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the operation hiring the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the penalized figures set up a firm in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering over 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 named in Companies House records as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a key controller.

Both list Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the War and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the course of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft proved key in the fall 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 regular fatalities," added 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 participation of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A government source said that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and running UK companies.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting an apology from the South American nation's government.

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

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an halt to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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