🔗 Share this article South American Mercenaries in Sudan Allegedly Hired by UK-Registered Companies Tucked away near the gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a plain, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a dark secret: a small flat connected to deadly atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south. Per British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a international web of firms implicated in the mass hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Scores of Former 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 sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of women and children. These contractors were key participants in the RSF's capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has cost at least 60,000 lives. While accounts of atrocities increase, connections have been found between the mercenaries contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London. London Flat Connected to Censured Company The flat in Tottenham is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and penalized last week by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF. Both figures – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in records at Companies House as living in Britain. The company remains active. The following day the United States announced restrictions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the centre of central London. Its new postcode matches one five-star hotel in Covent Garden. Both hotels said they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had used their addresses. "It is of serious worry that the key individuals the US government states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan. Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight Experts argue the saga raises questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned 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 British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and sexual violence" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide. When questioned about Zeuz Global, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or confirm the residency status of the penalized people. Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details. Network Led by Retired Officer According to the American authorities, the figure 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 key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the firm. Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a business alleged of handling funds and payroll for the operation employing the Colombian fighters. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement said. Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict In spring of this year, the sanctioned individuals set up a company in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was handed over to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher. The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control". The two list Britain as their "place of residency". Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the war, experts state. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft. These drones were key in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily fatalities," said the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support." He added that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when firms are set up. "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 UK official stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling UK firms. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret from the South American nation's government. One of the mercenaries recently confirmed that he had trained children in Sudan and fought in El Fasher. The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of the contractors. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims. A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access." They noted that the UK had recently imposed restrictions on RSF commanders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.
Tucked away near the gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a plain, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a dark secret: a small flat connected to deadly atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south. Per British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a international web of firms implicated in the mass hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Scores of Former 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 sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of women and children. These contractors were key participants in the RSF's capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has cost at least 60,000 lives. While accounts of atrocities increase, connections have been found between the mercenaries contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London. London Flat Connected to Censured Company The flat in Tottenham is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and penalized last week by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF. Both figures – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in records at Companies House as living in Britain. The company remains active. The following day the United States announced restrictions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the centre of central London. Its new postcode matches one five-star hotel in Covent Garden. Both hotels said they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had used their addresses. "It is of serious worry that the key individuals the US government states are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan. Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight Experts argue the saga raises questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned 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 British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and sexual violence" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide. When questioned about Zeuz Global, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or confirm the residency status of the penalized people. Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details. Network Led by Retired Officer According to the American authorities, the figure 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 key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the firm. Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a business alleged of handling funds and payroll for the operation employing the Colombian fighters. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement said. Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict In spring of this year, the sanctioned individuals set up a company in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was handed over to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher. The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control". The two list Britain as their "place of residency". Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the war, experts state. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft. These drones were key in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily fatalities," said the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support." He added that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a London firm highlighted wider worries over the lack of rigorous checks when firms are set up. "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 UK official stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and controlling UK firms. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an expression of regret from the South American nation's government. One of the mercenaries recently confirmed that he had trained children in Sudan and fought in El Fasher. The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of the contractors. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims. A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access." They noted that the UK had recently imposed restrictions on RSF commanders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.