South American Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies

Situated close to the shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital lies a plain, nondescript apartment building. Behind its unremarkable facade exists a dark reality: a cramped flat connected to deadly crimes taking place 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 mercenaries to combat in the African nation alongside militias accused of myriad war crimes and genocide.

Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

While accounts of atrocities increase, links have been identified between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Censured Company

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and penalized last week by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in documents at Companies House as resident in Britain.

The firm remains active. The day after the US treasury announced sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to a five-star hotel in a central district.

Both hotels said they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had used their addresses.

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

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Experts argue the saga raises concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the UK capital.

The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with acts of genocide.

When questioned about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or confirm the location of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its website, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information.

Network Led by Former Soldier

Per the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of playing a key part 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 dual national was also sanctioned for managing a business accused of processing money and salaries for the operation hiring the mercenaries.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual engaged in many bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

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

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was handed over to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in Companies House records as owning "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

Both describe Britain as their "country of residence".

Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the war, experts state. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for drones.

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

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced 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 significant part of this outside support."

He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when firms are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

A government source 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, prompting an apology from the South American nation's government.

One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had trained children in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the safety of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery."

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