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

Tucked away close to the gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital is a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its ordinary facade lies a grim reality: a small second-floor apartment connected to murderous atrocities unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

According to British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in north London is tied to a international web of companies involved in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to combat in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad war crimes and genocide.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence increase, connections have been found between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, established by two people named and sanctioned last week by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.

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

The firm remains operational. The following day the US treasury imposed sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode corresponds to one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had listed their postcodes.

"It is of major concern that the key individuals the American authorities claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in north London," said an expert, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Experts say the situation highlights concerns 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 British 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 accused by the US with acts of genocide.

When asked about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals.

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

Operation Led by Retired Officer

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

The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His spouse was also penalized for running the firm.

Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a company accused of processing money and payroll for the operation hiring the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in numerous bank transactions, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In April of this year, the sanctioned individuals registered a company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting 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 Britain as their "country of residence".

Effect on the War and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These drones were instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in surrounding areas.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," said the expert. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this outside support."

He added that the involvement of penalized persons in a London firm underlined broader concerns over the lack of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

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

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A government source stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and running UK firms.

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had trained children 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 UAE nationals supplying 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 safety of civilians, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access."

They noted that the UK had recently imposed restrictions on RSF commanders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.