South American Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Recruited by British-Based Companies

Situated close to the gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a plain, nondescript block of flats. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork lies a dark reality: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to deadly crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

According to British official documents, this apartment in the capital is connected to a transnational network of firms implicated in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic killing of civilians.

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives.

While accounts of atrocities increase, connections have been identified between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

UK Address Linked to Censured Firm

The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in documents at Companies House as resident in Britain.

The firm remains active. The day after the United States imposed restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of London. Its updated address matches a luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

Both hotels said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had listed their addresses.

"It is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government claims are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in north London," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Checks

Analysts say the saga highlights questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the UK capital.

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

When questioned about the company, Companies House did not respond on whether it had awareness of the company's activities or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, set up in May, was labelled as "under construction" with lacking information.

Network Headed by Former Soldier

According to the US treasury, the man at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state.

The US alleges this individual of playing a central role in recruiting ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for running the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a company accused of processing money and salaries for the operation hiring the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In April of the current year, the penalized figures registered a firm in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

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

The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one named as a key controller.

Both list the UK as their "place of residency".

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for drones.

These drones proved instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," added the expert. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this outside support."

He noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a UK company underlined wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when companies are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a license for bad actors 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.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official stated that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK firms.

The role of the South Americans 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 trained children in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of arming 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 connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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