South American Contractors in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Firms

Tucked away near a shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a squat, nondescript block of flats. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork lies a dark reality: a cramped flat linked to murderous crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is tied to a transnational network of companies involved in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Former Colombian Military Enlisted

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, 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 sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence mount, connections have been identified between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Censured Company

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a corporation named Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are described in records at the UK company registry as living in Britain.

The company remains operational. The day after the US treasury announced restrictions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the centre of central London. Its updated address corresponds to a luxury accommodation 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.

"This is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities claims are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a flat in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a researcher and former member of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Experts argue the saga raises questions over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and sexual violence" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When questioned about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had awareness of the company's operations or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals.

Contacting Zeuz was unsuccessful; its online site, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Network Headed by Former Soldier

Per the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US alleges this individual of playing a key part in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for running the agency.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for managing a company alleged of processing money and payroll for the network employing the mercenaries.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted many bank transactions, totalling 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 the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as owning "starting shares" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control".

The two list Britain as their "country of residence".

Impact on the War and Broader Concerns

The hiring of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the war, experts state. These nationals have reportedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for drones.

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

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing daily fatalities," said the expert. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance."

He noted that the participation of penalized persons in a London firm underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do deals with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to establish a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

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

The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an apology from the South American nation's government.

One of the fighters recently confirmed that he had trained children in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations.

A UK official commented: "The UK is demanding an halt to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

They added that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF commanders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.