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

Tucked away close to the shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a plain, nondescript block of flats. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a grim secret: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to deadly crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a international network of firms implicated in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to combat in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of civilians.

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

While accounts of violence mount, links have been found between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in north London is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two people named and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in documents at Companies House as living in Britain.

The firm remains operational. The day after the US treasury announced sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of London. Its updated address matches a luxury accommodation in a central district.

The establishments in question said they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their addresses.

"This is of major concern that the key individuals the US government claims are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," stated an expert, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight

Analysts say the situation raises concerns over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, torture and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When questioned about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or verify the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz was unsuccessful; its website, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Operation Headed by Retired Officer

According to the US treasury, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation 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 recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the operation hiring the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In April of this year, the penalized figures registered a company in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was transferred to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

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

Effect on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the war, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, trainers, and pilots for drones.

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

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily fatalities," said the analyst. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance."

He noted that the participation of penalized persons in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when firms are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

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

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

One of the fighters recently admitted that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.

The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians 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 demanding an immediate end to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery."

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