South American Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by British-Based Companies

Situated near the gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in London is a squat, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a dark reality: a cramped second-floor apartment linked to deadly atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a transnational network of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside militias charged of myriad war crimes and genocide.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of women and children.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives.

As reports of atrocities mount, links have been found between the mercenaries contracted to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the city of London.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Company

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

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom.

The company remains operational. The day after the US treasury imposed sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of central London. Its new postcode matches a luxury accommodation in a central district.

The establishments in question stated they had no connection 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 orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in the capital," stated an expert, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Oversight

Analysts argue the situation highlights concerns over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a firm in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and assault" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s activities or confirm the location of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His spouse was also penalized for running 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.

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

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In April of this year, the penalized figures set up a company in north London named 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 Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are listed in Companies House records as owning "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

The two list Britain as their "country of residence".

Impact on the War and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for drones.

These aircraft were key in the fall 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 civilian deaths," added the analyst. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support."

He noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a London firm highlighted broader concerns over the lack of strict vetting when firms are established.

"Owning a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do deals with legitimate counterparts. 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 new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and running UK companies.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

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

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals providing Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery."

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