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

Situated near a shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London lies a squat, nondescript block of flats. Behind its unremarkable facade exists a dark reality: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to deadly atrocities taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per UK government records, this apartment in north London is tied to a transnational web of companies involved in the mass hiring of mercenaries to combat in the African nation alongside militias accused of myriad atrocities and genocide.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited

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

These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ capture of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which sparked a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

While reports of atrocities increase, connections have been found between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, established by two people identified and sanctioned recently by the American authorities for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are listed in records at Companies House as living in Britain.

The firm remains operational. The following day the US treasury announced sanctions on those behind the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of London. Its updated address corresponds to one luxury accommodation in a central district.

The establishments in question stated they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had listed their postcodes.

"It is of major concern that the primary figures the US government states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a researcher and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Oversight

Analysts argue the situation raises questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a firm in the UK capital.

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

When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the company's operations or verify the location of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with lacking information.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

According to the US treasury, the figure at the heart 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 alleges this individual of playing a key part in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the agency.

Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a company accused of processing money and salaries for the operation hiring the Colombian fighters.

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

Company Registration and Escalating Violence

In spring of the current year, the sanctioned individuals set up a company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

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

The penalized people are named in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one named as a key controller.

The two list the UK as their "place of residency".

Impact on the War and Wider Issues

The hiring of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the war, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly instructed minors to be combatants, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for drones.

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

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

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

"Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and controlling UK companies.

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

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

The United Arab Emirates, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that Emirati business people supplying fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the lifting of obstacles to aid delivery."

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