🔗 Share this article South American Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies Tucked away close to a shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a squat, unremarkable block of flats. Beyond its unremarkable facade lies a dark secret: a small second-floor apartment connected to deadly crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south. According to UK government records, this apartment in north London is connected to a transnational network of firms involved in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous war crimes and genocide. Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of civilians. Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the RSF's capture 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. As reports of violence mount, connections have been found between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital. UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Company The flat in north London is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and sanctioned recently by the American authorities for hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF. Both figures – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are described in documents at the UK company registry as living in Britain. The company is active. The day after the United States announced sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its updated address corresponds to a 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 listed their addresses. "This is of major concern that the key individuals the US government claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company operating from a flat in north London," said an expert, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan. Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight Analysts say the situation highlights questions over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a firm in the UK 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 accused by the US with acts of genocide. When questioned about the company, Companies House did not respond on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or verify the residency status of the penalized people. Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, set up in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with no contact details. Operation Headed by Former Soldier Per the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state. The US accuses this individual of playing a key part in recruiting ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the agency. Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a company alleged of processing money and salaries for the network employing the Colombian fighters. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read. Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict In April of the current year, the penalized figures set up a company in the UK capital named 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 preparations for assaulting El Fasher. The penalized people are listed in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one named as a person of "significant control". The two list Britain as their "place of residency". Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, experts state. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for drones. These drones proved instrumental 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 remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," added the analyst. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this outside support." He added that the participation of penalized persons in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are set up. "Owning a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said. Government Response and Ongoing Allegations A UK official stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK firms. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry. One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had trained children in Sudan and fought in El Fasher. The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims. A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery." They noted that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.
Tucked away close to a shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a squat, unremarkable block of flats. Beyond its unremarkable facade lies a dark secret: a small second-floor apartment connected to deadly crimes taking place thousands of miles to the south. According to UK government records, this apartment in north London is connected to a transnational network of firms involved in the large-scale recruitment of mercenaries to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous war crimes and genocide. Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of civilians. Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the RSF's capture 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. As reports of violence mount, connections have been found between the mercenaries hired to overrun El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital. UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Company The flat in north London is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and sanctioned recently by the American authorities for hiring Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF. Both figures – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are described in documents at the UK company registry as living in Britain. The company is active. The day after the United States announced sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its updated address corresponds to a 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 listed their addresses. "This is of major concern that the key individuals the US government claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company operating from a flat in north London," said an expert, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan. Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight Analysts say the situation highlights questions over how people openly censured by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a firm in the UK 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 accused by the US with acts of genocide. When questioned about the company, Companies House did not respond on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or verify the residency status of the penalized people. Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its website, set up in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with no contact details. Operation Headed by Former Soldier Per the US treasury, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state. The US accuses this individual of playing a key part in recruiting ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the agency. Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a company alleged of processing money and salaries for the network employing the Colombian fighters. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read. Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict In April of the current year, the penalized figures set up a company in the UK capital named 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 preparations for assaulting El Fasher. The penalized people are listed in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one named as a person of "significant control". The two list Britain as their "place of residency". Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the war, experts state. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for drones. These drones proved instrumental 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 remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," added the analyst. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this outside support." He added that the participation of penalized persons in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are set up. "Owning a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do deals with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said. Government Response and Ongoing Allegations A UK official stated that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide more confidence about who was setting up and running UK firms. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from Colombia’s foreign ministry. One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had trained children in Sudan and fought in El Fasher. The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims. A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to atrocities, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery." They noted that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.