🔗 Share this article South American Mercenaries in Sudan Allegedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies Situated close to the shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a squat, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable facade lies a dark reality: a small flat connected to murderous atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south. According to British official documents, this apartment in north London is connected to a transnational web of firms implicated in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Scores of Former Colombian Military 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 sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of women and children. These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives. As accounts of atrocities mount, connections have been identified between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital. UK Address Connected to Censured Company The flat in north London is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for hiring contractors to combat 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 is active. The following day the US treasury imposed sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of London. Its updated address matches one five-star hotel in Covent Garden. The establishments in question said they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their postcodes. "This is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan. Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks Experts argue the saga raises concerns over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict 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, torture and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide. When questioned about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or verify the location of the penalized people. Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details. Operation Headed by Former Soldier Per the US treasury, the figure 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 United Arab Emirates (UAE). The US alleges this individual of having a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the agency. Another dual national was also sanctioned for overseeing a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the network employing the mercenaries. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted many wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read. Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict In spring of this year, the penalized figures set up a company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global. Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher. The penalized people are named in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control". The two describe Britain as their "country of residence". Effect on the War and Broader Concerns The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and pilots for drones. These drones proved key 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 civilian deaths," said the expert. "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 involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are set up. "Having a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do business with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated. Official Reaction and Continuing Claims A UK official said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK companies. The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry. One of the fighters recently confirmed that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher. The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these claims. A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery." They added that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.
Situated close to the shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a squat, nondescript apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable facade lies a dark reality: a small flat connected to murderous atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south. According to British official documents, this apartment in north London is connected to a transnational web of firms implicated in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Scores of Former Colombian Military 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 sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of women and children. These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives. As accounts of atrocities mount, connections have been identified between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital. UK Address Connected to Censured Company The flat in north London is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for hiring contractors to combat 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 is active. The following day the US treasury imposed sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of London. Its updated address matches one five-star hotel in Covent Garden. The establishments in question said they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had used their postcodes. "This is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in north London," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan. Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks Experts argue the saga raises concerns over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict 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, torture and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide. When questioned about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or verify the location of the penalized people. Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, created in May, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details. Operation Headed by Former Soldier Per the US treasury, the figure 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 United Arab Emirates (UAE). The US alleges this individual of having a central role in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the agency. Another dual national was also sanctioned for overseeing a business accused of handling funds and payroll for the network employing the mercenaries. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted many wire transfers, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read. Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict In spring of this year, the penalized figures set up a company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global. Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher. The penalized people are named in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control". The two describe Britain as their "country of residence". Effect on the War and Broader Concerns The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and pilots for drones. These drones proved key 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 civilian deaths," said the expert. "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 involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are set up. "Having a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do business with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated. Official Reaction and Continuing Claims A UK official said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK companies. The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry. One of the fighters recently confirmed that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher. The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these claims. A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery." They added that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.