South American Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies

Tucked away close to a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its unremarkable facade exists a grim reality: a small second-floor apartment linked to deadly atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a international web of firms involved in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Former South American Soldiers Recruited

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

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

While reports of violence mount, links have been found between the mercenaries contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Censured Firm

The apartment in north London is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and penalized recently by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are described in documents at Companies House as living in Britain.

The company remains active. The day after the US treasury imposed sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to a five-star hotel in a central district.

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

"This is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in north London," said an expert, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Experts argue the situation highlights questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the UK capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, torture and sexual violence" following the faction'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 awareness of the company's activities or confirm the residency status of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz was unsuccessful; its online site, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details.

Network Led by Retired Officer

Per the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of playing a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for running the agency.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for overseeing a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the operation hiring the mercenaries.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted many wire transfers, totalling 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 firm in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the site was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

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

Both list the UK as their "country of residence".

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for drones.

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

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily civilian deaths," said the expert. "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 sanctioned individuals in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when companies are established.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do deals with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

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

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

One of the mercenaries recently confirmed that he had instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to atrocities, the protection of civilians, and the removal of obstacles to aid delivery."

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