South American Mercenaries in Sudan Allegedly Hired by British-Based Firms

Situated close to a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital is a plain, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its unremarkable facade lies a dark secret: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to murderous atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a transnational network of firms implicated in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to combat in the African nation alongside militias accused of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Recruited

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of women and children.

These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has cost over 60,000 lives.

While reports of atrocities increase, connections have been identified between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Censured Firm

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and sanctioned recently by the American authorities for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as resident in Britain.

The company remains operational. The following day the US treasury announced restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of London. Its new postcode matches one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

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

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the US government states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight

Analysts say the situation highlights questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a firm in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "organized murder, torture and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about the company, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or verify the location of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its online site, created in May, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

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 former army officer based in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based 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 operation hiring the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual engaged in many bank transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as holding "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a key controller.

Both list Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues

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

These drones were key 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 remote aircraft causing daily fatalities," added the analyst. "These systems 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 penalized persons in a London firm underlined broader concerns over the lack of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

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

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 fighters recently confirmed that he had instructed minors 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 report alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery."

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