South American Mercenaries in Sudan Allegedly Recruited by British-Based Firms

Tucked away close to the gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in London is a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a grim secret: a small flat connected to deadly crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in north London is connected to a transnational network of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to fight in Sudan alongside militias accused of numerous atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Recruited

Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

As reports of atrocities mount, connections have been found between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in north London is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are listed in records at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom.

The company remains operational. The following day the United States imposed restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of London. Its updated address corresponds to 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.

"This is of major concern that the key individuals the American authorities states are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a apartment in north London," said an expert, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Checks

Experts say the situation highlights concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a firm in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and sexual violence" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When asked about the company, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the company's operations or confirm the location of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, created in spring, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details.

Operation Led by Former Soldier

Per the American authorities, the figure at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the Gulf state.

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

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a company accused of handling funds and salaries for the network employing the mercenaries.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual engaged in numerous bank transactions, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, 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 assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a key controller.

Both describe 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 course of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft proved instrumental 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 long-range drones 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 added that the involvement of penalized persons in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when firms 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 set up a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A government source said 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 Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

One of the fighters recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought 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 investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access."

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