South American Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies

Tucked away near a shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital lies a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its ordinary facade lies a grim reality: a small flat connected to murderous atrocities unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this apartment in the capital is connected to a international web of firms implicated in the mass recruitment of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad atrocities and genocide.

Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of civilians.

These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has cost at least 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence increase, connections have been identified between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a company 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 figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in records at the UK company registry as living in the United Kingdom.

The company is operational. The following day the US treasury imposed sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of London. Its new postcode matches one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

Both hotels said they had no link 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 orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company operating from a apartment in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks

Analysts argue the saga highlights questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a firm in the UK capital.

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

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

Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, created in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with lacking information.

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 dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of having a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the agency.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for overseeing a business alleged of processing money and salaries for the network hiring the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

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

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

Both list the UK as their "country of residence".

Impact on the War and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and pilots for drones.

These aircraft were key 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 daily civilian deaths," said the expert. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this outside support."

He added that the involvement of penalized persons in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when companies are set up.

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

Government Response 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 firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret 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 UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an halt to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access."

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