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

Situated close to the shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in London is a squat, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its ordinary facade lies a dark reality: a cramped flat linked to deadly crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in north London is tied to a international network of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous war crimes and genocide.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives.

While accounts of atrocities increase, links have been identified between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Censured Firm

The apartment in north London is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two people named and penalized last week by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in records at Companies House as living in Britain.

The firm remains operational. The following day the US treasury announced restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of London. Its updated address corresponds to a five-star hotel in a central district.

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

"It is of serious worry that the key individuals the US government claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in the capital," said an expert, a researcher and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Oversight

Experts say the saga 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 firm in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and sexual violence" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When questioned about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s activities or verify the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

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

Network Headed by Retired Officer

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

The US alleges this individual of playing a key part in recruiting ex-military personnel 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 similarly censured for managing a company alleged of processing money and salaries for the network employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, totalling many millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the penalized figures set up a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in Companies House records as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

The two list Britain as their "place of residency".

Effect on the War and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the course of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for drones.

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

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," said the analyst. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance."

He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the lack of strict vetting when firms are established.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A government source stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK companies.

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

One of the mercenaries 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 hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing Colombians to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access."

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