South American Contractors in Sudan Reportedly Hired by British-Based Companies

Situated close to a shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in London is a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a dark secret: a small flat connected to deadly crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south.

Per British official documents, this apartment in the capital is connected to a international web of companies involved in the large-scale hiring of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous war crimes and genocide.

Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited

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

These contractors were key participants in the RSF's capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives.

As reports of violence increase, links have been identified between the fighters contracted to capture El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Firm

The flat in north London is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in records at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom.

The firm remains active. The day after the United States announced sanctions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its updated address corresponds to one five-star hotel in a central district.

Both hotels said they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had used their addresses.

"It 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 flat in north London," stated an expert, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks

Experts say the situation highlights 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 company in the British capital.

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

When questioned about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the firm’s activities or confirm the location of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, set up in May, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

Per the US treasury, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer located in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of having a key part in recruiting former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the agency.

Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a company alleged of handling funds and salaries for the operation employing the Colombian fighters.

"In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual engaged in numerous bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement read.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In April of the current year, the penalized figures registered a firm in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

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

The penalized people are named in official UK documents 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 Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, foot soldiers, instructors, and operators for drones.

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

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and long-range drones causing daily civilian deaths," added the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this external assistance."

He noted that the involvement of penalized persons in a London firm underlined wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when firms are established.

"Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with respectable entities. It's still more difficult 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 new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and controlling UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry.

One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the protection of civilians, and the removal of obstacles to humanitarian access."

They noted that the UK had recently imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.