South American Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Hired by UK-Registered Firms

Tucked away near the shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in London is a plain, unremarkable block of flats. Beyond its unremarkable facade lies a grim reality: a cramped flat linked to deadly atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is tied to a international web of companies implicated in the large-scale hiring of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside militias accused of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Former South American Soldiers Recruited

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

These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives.

As reports of atrocities increase, links have been identified between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in north London is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in documents at Companies House as resident in Britain.

The company is active. The day after the US treasury imposed restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of London. Its new postcode corresponds to a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

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

"It is of serious worry that the primary figures the American authorities states are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Analysts say the situation highlights concerns over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the British 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 accused by the US with acts of genocide.

When questioned about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the company's operations or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

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

Network Led by Former Soldier

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

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

Another dual national was similarly censured for managing a company accused of processing money and salaries for the operation hiring the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted many wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the penalized figures set up a company in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering over 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

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

The two describe the UK as their "place of residency".

Effect on the War and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and pilots for drones.

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

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," added the expert. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support."

He added 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 passport for criminals to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

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

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an halt to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access."

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