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

Situated near a shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in the British capital is a plain, nondescript apartment building. Behind its unremarkable facade exists a dark secret: a small second-floor apartment connected to murderous crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

According to British official documents, this apartment in the capital is connected to a international web of companies involved in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to combat in the African nation alongside militias charged of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread murder of civilians.

Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that analysts say has cost at least 60,000 lives.

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

London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm

The apartment in north London is registered to a corporation named Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in documents at the UK company registry as living in Britain.

The company is operational. The day after the United States imposed restrictions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the centre of London. Its new postcode matches one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question stated 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 key individuals the American authorities states are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a apartment in north London," stated an expert, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks

Experts say the situation highlights concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the British capital.

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

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

Contacting Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Network Headed by Retired Officer

Per the US treasury, the man at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army 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 Colombian employment agency. His wife was also penalized for running the firm.

Another dual national was also sanctioned for overseeing a business alleged of handling funds and salaries for the network hiring the Colombian fighters.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read.

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the penalized figures registered a firm in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam displacement camp, slaughtering over 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the camp was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are listed in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one identified as a key controller.

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

Effect on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These drones were instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," said the expert. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this outside support."

He added that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a UK company highlighted wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are established.

"Owning a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do business with respectable entities. It's still harder 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 recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide greater assurance 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 confirmed that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher.

The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the protection of civilians, and the removal of obstacles to humanitarian access."

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