South American Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Recruited by British-Based Companies

Situated near a gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a squat, nondescript apartment building. Behind its unremarkable facade exists a grim reality: a small flat linked to deadly crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a transnational network of companies implicated in the large-scale hiring of fighters to combat in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Recruited

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence increase, connections have been identified between the mercenaries contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The apartment in north London is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in documents at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom.

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

The establishments in question said they had no link 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 states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Checks

Analysts say the situation highlights questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate 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 capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide.

When questioned about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or verify the residency status of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, set up in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with no contact details.

Network Headed by Former Soldier

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

The US accuses this individual of playing a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His wife was also penalized for running the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a business accused of processing money and salaries for the network hiring the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted many bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In April of this year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

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

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

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

Impact on the War and Wider Issues

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the war, experts state. These nationals have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft were instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

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

He noted that the participation of penalized persons in a UK company underlined wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

"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 establish a UK company," he said.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A government source stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence 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 confirmed that he had trained children in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is demanding an halt to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery."

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