🔗 Share this article South American Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Firms Tucked away close to a shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork lies a grim reality: a small second-floor apartment linked to murderous crimes taking place a vast distance to the south. According to UK government records, this apartment in north London is tied to a transnational network of firms implicated in the mass hiring of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing. Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of women and children. Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed at least 60,000 lives. While reports of atrocities increase, connections have been identified between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London. London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Company The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and penalized last week by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF. Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in records at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom. The firm is active. The following day the US treasury imposed sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of London. Its updated address matches one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden. Both hotels said they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had used their addresses. "This is of serious worry that the key individuals the US government states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in the capital," said an expert, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan. Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks Experts argue the saga highlights concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the UK capital. The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and assault" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide. When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals. Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, created in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with no contact details. Operation Headed by Former Soldier Per the US treasury, the man at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the Gulf state. The US accuses this individual of having a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the agency. Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a company alleged of processing money and salaries for the operation hiring the Colombian fighters. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual engaged in numerous bank transactions, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read. Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict In April of the current year, the penalized figures registered a firm in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher. The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one named as a person of "significant control". Both list the UK as their "country of residence". Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the war, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for drones. These drones were instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas. "The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," said the analyst. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this outside support." He noted that the participation of penalized persons in a UK company underlined wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when firms are established. "Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated. Official Reaction and Continuing Claims A government source stated that the new rollout 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 the South American nation's government. One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher. The UAE, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims. A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an halt to atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access." They added that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.
Tucked away close to a shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork lies a grim reality: a small second-floor apartment linked to murderous crimes taking place a vast distance to the south. According to UK government records, this apartment in north London is tied to a transnational network of firms implicated in the mass hiring of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside militias charged of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing. Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Recruited A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of women and children. Colombian mercenaries were key participants in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has claimed at least 60,000 lives. While reports of atrocities increase, connections have been identified between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London. London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Company The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and penalized last week by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF. Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are described in records at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom. The firm is active. The following day the US treasury imposed sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of London. Its updated address matches one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden. Both hotels said they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had used their addresses. "This is of serious worry that the key individuals the US government states are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in the capital," said an expert, a researcher and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan. Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks Experts argue the saga highlights concerns over how people openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a company in the UK capital. The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "systematic killings, torture and assault" following the faction's seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide. When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or confirm the residency status of the sanctioned individuals. Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, created in spring, was labelled as "under construction" with no contact details. Operation Headed by Former Soldier Per the US treasury, the man at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer located in the Gulf state. The US accuses this individual of having a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His spouse was also sanctioned for owning and managing the agency. Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a company alleged of processing money and salaries for the operation hiring the Colombian fighters. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual engaged in numerous bank transactions, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read. Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict In April of the current year, the penalized figures registered a firm in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for assaulting El Fasher. The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one named as a person of "significant control". Both list the UK as their "country of residence". Impact on the Conflict and Wider Issues The hiring of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the course of the war, analysts say. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for drones. These drones were instrumental in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas. "The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," said the analyst. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a major component of this outside support." He noted that the participation of penalized persons in a UK company underlined wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when firms are established. "Having a UK company like this is a license for criminals to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated. Official Reaction and Continuing Claims A government source stated that the new rollout 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 the South American nation's government. One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher. The UAE, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the hiring of the contractors. A report alleged that Emirati business people providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims. A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an halt to atrocities, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access." They added that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.