South American Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Firms

Situated close to a gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a squat, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a dark secret: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to murderous crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is tied to a international web of companies implicated in the mass recruitment of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside militias charged of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread killing of women and children.

These contractors were key participants in the RSF's capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has cost over 60,000 lives.

As accounts of atrocities mount, connections have been found between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

UK Address Connected to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in north London is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two people named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in records at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The firm remains active. The following day the US treasury announced restrictions on those running the recruitment network, 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 had no idea why the firm had listed their postcodes.

"This is of serious worry that the key individuals the US government states are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a flat in north London," stated an expert, a researcher and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Analysts say the saga raises concerns over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a company in the British capital.

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

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

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Network Headed by Former Soldier

According to the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the South American recruitment operation 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 sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a company accused of processing money and salaries for the network employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of this year, the sanctioned individuals registered a company 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 civilians. After its seizure, the camp was transferred to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

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

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These drones proved instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing daily fatalities," added the expert. "These systems require external help 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 highlighted wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when companies are established.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A government source stated that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK firms.

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

One of the fighters recently confirmed that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an halt to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery."

They added that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF commanders for their role in the crimes in El Fasher.