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

Situated close to a gleaming soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable facade exists a dark reality: a small flat linked to deadly atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in the capital is connected to a international web of firms involved in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad war crimes and genocide.

Scores of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted

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

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives.

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

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are described in documents at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The company remains active. The day after the US treasury announced restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea 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 establish a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks

Analysts say the situation highlights concerns over how individuals openly censured by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide.

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

Contacting Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, set up in May, was labelled as "under construction" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

Per the American authorities, the figure at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in recruiting ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a company alleged of handling funds and payroll for the network hiring the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

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

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as holding "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one named as a key controller.

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

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

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

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing daily civilian deaths," said the expert. "These systems require outside assistance 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 London firm underlined wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when companies are set up.

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

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A government source stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and controlling UK companies.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

One of the fighters recently admitted 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 connected to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access."

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