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

Tucked away near a shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in London lies a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a grim reality: a small flat linked to murderous atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a transnational network of companies involved in the mass recruitment of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities 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, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of women and children.

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives.

While accounts of atrocities increase, connections have been found between the mercenaries contracted to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in north London is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and sanctioned recently by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

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

The firm is operational. The day after the United States announced sanctions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its updated address corresponds to a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

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

"It is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," stated an expert, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Experts argue the saga raises concerns over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a firm in the UK capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

When questioned about Zeuz Global, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or confirm the location of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

According to the US treasury, the man at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer located in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of playing a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a company alleged of handling funds and salaries for the network hiring the mercenaries.

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

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a company in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as holding "starting shares" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

Both describe the UK as their "place of residency".

Effect on the War and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and operators for drones.

These aircraft proved instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," added the analyst. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance."

He added that the involvement of penalized persons in a London firm underlined broader concerns over the absence of strict vetting when companies are established.

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

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

A UK official said that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and running UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light 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, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying fighters to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access."

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