South American Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Recruited by British-Based Companies

Situated close to the gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in the British capital is a squat, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a dark reality: a small flat connected to murderous crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in north London is connected to a transnational web of firms implicated in the mass recruitment of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous war crimes and genocide.

Hundreds of Former Colombian Military Enlisted

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were key participants 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.

As reports of violence mount, links have been found between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in north London is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and penalized last week by the US treasury for hiring contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are described in records at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The company is operational. The following day the US treasury announced sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of London. Its updated address corresponds to one five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

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

"This is of major concern that the key individuals the American authorities states are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in north London," said an expert, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks

Analysts argue the situation highlights questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a company in the UK capital.

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

When asked about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s activities or confirm the residency status of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, set up in May, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

According to the American authorities, the man at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US alleges this individual of having a central role in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a business alleged of handling funds and salaries for the network employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals set up 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, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

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

Both list Britain as their "place of residency".

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for drones.

These aircraft proved key in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"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 recruitment network has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He noted that the participation of penalized persons in a London firm underlined broader concerns over the lack of strict vetting when firms are set up.

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

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and controlling UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat 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 Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the removal of obstacles to aid delivery."

They noted that the UK had also sanctioned RSF commanders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.