South American Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies

Situated close to a shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital is a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a grim reality: a cramped flat linked to deadly crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south.

Per British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a transnational web of firms implicated in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of civilians.

These contractors were directly involved in the RSF's capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While reports of atrocities increase, links have been identified between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Censured Company

The flat in Tottenham is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and penalized recently by the US treasury for hiring contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are described in records at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The company is operational. The following day the US treasury imposed restrictions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode matches one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

Both hotels said they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had listed their postcodes.

"It is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in north London," stated an expert, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Experts say the situation highlights questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict 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, abuse and sexual violence" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When asked about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its website, created in spring, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details.

Operation Headed by Former Soldier

According to the US treasury, the man at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of playing 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 agency.

Another dual national was similarly censured for managing a company accused of handling funds and payroll for the network employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, amounting to 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 camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in Companies House records as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a key controller.

Both list Britain as their "country of residence".

Impact on the War and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the war, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, foot soldiers, instructors, and operators for drones.

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

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily fatalities," 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 added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted broader concerns over the absence of strict vetting when firms are set up.

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

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

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

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals providing Colombians to the RSF were linked 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 violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of obstacles to aid delivery."

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