South American Contractors in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by British-Based Firms

Tucked away near the gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in London lies a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its ordinary facade lies a grim reality: a cramped flat connected to deadly atrocities unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in the capital is connected to a transnational web of companies implicated in the mass recruitment of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous war crimes and genocide.

Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of civilians.

These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives.

While accounts of violence mount, connections have been found between the mercenaries contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Company

The flat in north London is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and sanctioned recently by the American authorities for hiring contractors to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are described in records at the UK company registry as resident in Britain.

The firm remains operational. The following day the United States announced sanctions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of central London. Its updated address matches one five-star hotel in a central district.

The establishments in question said they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had used their addresses.

"It is of major concern that the key individuals the US government claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in the capital," said an expert, a researcher and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Analysts say the situation raises questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the UK capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When questioned about the company, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s activities or confirm the residency status of the penalized people.

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

Operation Led by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the man at the heart 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 alleges this individual of playing a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His wife was also penalized for running the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a company alleged of handling funds and payroll for the operation employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted many wire transfers, totalling millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence

In April of the current year, the penalized figures set up a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as holding "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

The two list the UK as their "country of residence".

Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for drones.

These aircraft were instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," added 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 noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a London firm underlined wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when companies are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Continuing Claims

A government source stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and controlling UK firms.

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

One of the mercenaries recently confirmed that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an halt to violence, the safety of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery."

They noted that the UK had also sanctioned RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.