South American Contractors in Sudan Reportedly Hired by UK-Registered Firms

Situated close to a shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a plain, nondescript apartment building. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork lies a grim reality: a cramped flat connected to murderous atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to UK government records, this apartment in the capital is tied to a international network of companies implicated in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

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

Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the RSF's capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While accounts of atrocities increase, connections have been found between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for hiring contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in records at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom.

The company remains operational. The day after the United States announced sanctions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of London. Its updated address corresponds to one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

Both hotels stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their addresses.

"It is of major concern that the key individuals the American authorities claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a apartment in north London," said an expert, a researcher and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Experts argue the situation raises questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the British capital.

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

When questioned about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or verify the location of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, set up in May, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Former Soldier

Per the American authorities, the man at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of having a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for running the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a company alleged of processing money and payroll for the network hiring the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual engaged in many bank transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 civilians. After its capture, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one named as a person of "significant control".

Both describe Britain as their "country of residence".

Effect on the Conflict and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the war, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, trainers, and operators for unmanned aircraft.

These drones proved key in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing daily fatalities," added the expert. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this external assistance."

He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when companies are set up.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

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 running UK companies.

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

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 hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that UAE nationals supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the protection of civilians, and the removal 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.