South American Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Hired by British-Based Companies

Tucked away close to a shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a squat, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork 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 north London is tied to a transnational web of companies implicated in the mass hiring of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of women and children.

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

While accounts of violence increase, connections have been found between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Company

The flat in Tottenham is registered to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals named and penalized last week by the US treasury for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are listed in records at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The firm is active. The following day the US treasury imposed sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of London. Its updated address matches one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question said they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had listed their postcodes.

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks

Experts say the situation highlights concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the British capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, torture and sexual violence" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide.

When asked about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or verify the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, created in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with no contact details.

Operation Headed by Retired Officer

According to the American authorities, the man at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the firm.

Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a company accused of processing money and salaries for the network employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in numerous wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the penalized figures registered a firm in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering over 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the site was handed over to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

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

Both list Britain as their "place of residency".

Impact on the War and Broader Concerns

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 snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These drones proved key in the fall of El Fasher and during combat 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 sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the absence of strict vetting when companies are established.

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

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

A government source stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an apology from the South American nation's government.

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

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery."

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