South American Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Hired by British-Based Firms

Situated near the gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital lies a squat, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its unremarkable facade exists a dark secret: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to deadly crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a international web of firms involved in the large-scale hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Former South American Soldiers Enlisted

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of women and children.

These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While accounts of atrocities increase, links have been found between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

London Flat Connected to Censured Company

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals identified and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are described in records at the UK company registry as living in Britain.

The company remains operational. The day after the US treasury imposed restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of London. Its new postcode matches a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

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

"It is of serious worry that the key individuals the US government claims are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in north London," said an expert, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Oversight

Analysts argue the situation raises questions over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a firm in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "organized murder, torture and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with genocide.

When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its online site, created in spring, was marked as "under construction" with no contact details.

Network Headed by Former Soldier

According to the American authorities, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His wife was also sanctioned for running the agency.

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

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

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In spring of this year, the penalized figures set up a company in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Three days later, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the camp was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as owning "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one named as a key controller.

Both list the UK as their "place of residency".

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as acting as marksmen, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These drones proved key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily fatalities," added the expert. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this outside support."

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

"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 fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official said that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

One of the fighters recently confirmed that he had instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.

The United Arab Emirates, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that UAE nationals supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A UK official said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery."

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