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

Tucked away close to a shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in London is a squat, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork lies a dark secret: a cramped second-floor apartment linked to murderous atrocities taking place thousands of miles to the south.

According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a transnational network of companies implicated in the large-scale hiring of fighters to combat in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of numerous atrocities and genocide.

Hundreds of Former South American Soldiers Recruited

Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of civilians.

These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives.

As accounts of atrocities increase, connections have been found between the mercenaries contracted to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital.

London Flat Connected to Censured Firm

The flat in north London 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 fifties – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as living in the United Kingdom.

The firm is active. The following day the US treasury imposed restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of London. Its new postcode matches a luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question said they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had used their postcodes.

"This is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company operating from a flat in the capital," stated an expert, a researcher and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Checks

Analysts say the saga highlights concerns over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the UK capital.

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

When asked about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge 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 "under construction" with no contact details.

Operation Led by Former Soldier

Per the American authorities, the figure at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer based in the Gulf state.

The US accuses this individual of playing a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a business accused of processing money and payroll for the operation hiring the mercenaries.

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

Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of this year, the penalized figures registered a company in north London named 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 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 holding "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

Both list Britain as their "place of residency".

Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have reportedly instructed minors to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for drones.

These drones proved key in the fall 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 fatalities," said 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 added that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do business with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Government Response and Ongoing Allegations

A government source said that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK firms.

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

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

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of the contractors. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

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

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