🔗 Share this article South American Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Firms Situated near the gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its ordinary facade exists a grim secret: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to deadly atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south. According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a international web of companies implicated in the mass hiring of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of civilians. These contractors were key participants in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has cost over 60,000 lives. As reports of atrocities increase, links have been found between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the city of London. London Flat Linked to Censured Company The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and penalized last week by the American authorities for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF. Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in documents at Companies House as resident in Britain. The company is operational. The day after the US treasury announced sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of London. Its new postcode matches one five-star hotel in Covent Garden. Both hotels stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had used their postcodes. "This is of major concern that the primary figures the US government claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a flat in north London," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan. Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks Analysts say the situation highlights concerns over how people 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 UK capital. The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide. When questioned about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or confirm the location of the penalized people. Reaching out to Zeuz was unsuccessful; its online site, set up in spring, was labelled as "being built" with lacking information. Network Led by Former Soldier According to the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the Gulf state. The US alleges this individual of having a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the firm. Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a company accused of handling funds and salaries for the operation hiring the Colombian fighters. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted many bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement said. Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence In spring of this year, the penalized figures set up a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher. The penalized people are listed in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control". The two describe Britain as their "place of residency". Impact on the War and Broader Concerns The recruitment 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 combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft. These aircraft were key in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," added the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance." He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals 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 deals with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said. Official Reaction and Continuing Claims A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and controlling UK companies. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an expression of regret from the South American nation's government. One of the fighters recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher. The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations. A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the protection of civilians, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery." They noted that the UK had recently imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.
Situated near the gleaming football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital lies a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its ordinary facade exists a grim secret: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to deadly atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south. According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a international web of companies implicated in the mass hiring of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of civilians. These contractors were key participants in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has cost over 60,000 lives. As reports of atrocities increase, links have been found between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the city of London. London Flat Linked to Censured Company The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and penalized last week by the American authorities for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF. Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in documents at Companies House as resident in Britain. The company is operational. The day after the US treasury announced sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of London. Its new postcode matches one five-star hotel in Covent Garden. Both hotels stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had used their postcodes. "This is of major concern that the primary figures the US government claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a flat in north London," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan. Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks Analysts say the situation highlights concerns over how people 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 UK capital. The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, abuse and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide. When questioned about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or confirm the location of the penalized people. Reaching out to Zeuz was unsuccessful; its online site, set up in spring, was labelled as "being built" with lacking information. Network Led by Former Soldier According to the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the Gulf state. The US alleges this individual of having a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for running the firm. Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a company accused of handling funds and salaries for the operation hiring the Colombian fighters. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted many bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement said. Firm Establishment and Escalating Violence In spring of this year, the penalized figures set up a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher. The penalized people are listed in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control". The two describe Britain as their "place of residency". Impact on the War and Broader Concerns The recruitment 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 combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft. These aircraft were key in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing regular civilian deaths," added the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance." He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals 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 deals with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said. Official Reaction and Continuing Claims A UK official stated that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and controlling UK companies. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an expression of regret from the South American nation's government. One of the fighters recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher. The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations. A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the protection of civilians, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery." They noted that the UK had recently imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.