🔗 Share this article South American Mercenaries in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Hired by British-Based Firms Situated near a gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in London lies a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its unremarkable facade exists a dark secret: a cramped flat linked to deadly atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south. According to UK government records, this apartment in the capital is tied to a international network of companies implicated in the mass hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing. Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of civilians. These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives. As accounts of violence mount, links have been found between the mercenaries contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital. UK Address Connected to Censured Firm The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and penalized last week by the American authorities for hiring contractors to combat for the RSF. Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in records at Companies House as living in Britain. The firm remains active. The following day the US treasury imposed sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of London. Its new postcode matches one five-star hotel in Covent Garden. The establishments in question stated they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had used their postcodes. "It 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 north London," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan. Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks Analysts say the saga raises questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a company in the UK capital. The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, torture and sexual violence" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide. When questioned about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals. Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its website, created in May, was marked as "being built" with lacking information. Operation Headed by Former Soldier Per the American authorities, the figure at the centre 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 alleges this individual of having a central role in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the firm. Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a business alleged of handling funds and salaries for the operation employing the mercenaries. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual conducted many wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the official announcement read. Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict In April of this year, the sanctioned individuals set up a company in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global. Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the site was handed over to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher. The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control". The two describe the UK as their "country of residence". Effect on the War and Wider Issues The recruitment of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, trainers, and operators for drones. These drones were key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas. "The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily fatalities," said the analyst. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance." He added that the involvement of penalized persons in a London firm underlined wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when companies are set up. "Owning a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors 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 said. Official Reaction and Continuing Claims A government source said that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and controlling UK companies. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry. One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher. The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations. A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access." They added that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF commanders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.
Situated near a gleaming soccer ground of a Premier League club in London lies a plain, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its unremarkable facade exists a dark secret: a cramped flat linked to deadly atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south. According to UK government records, this apartment in the capital is tied to a international network of companies implicated in the mass hiring of mercenaries to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries accused of numerous atrocities and ethnic cleansing. Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Enlisted A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of civilians. These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives. As accounts of violence mount, links have been found between the mercenaries contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital. UK Address Connected to Censured Firm The apartment in Tottenham is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and penalized last week by the American authorities for hiring contractors to combat for the RSF. Both figures – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are listed in records at Companies House as living in Britain. The firm remains active. The following day the US treasury imposed sanctions on those running the Colombian mercenary operation, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the centre of London. Its new postcode matches one five-star hotel in Covent Garden. The establishments in question stated they had no connection to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had used their postcodes. "It 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 north London," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan. Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks Analysts say the saga raises questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a company in the UK capital. The British foreign secretary has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, torture and sexual violence" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide. When questioned about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or confirm the location of the sanctioned individuals. Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its website, created in May, was marked as "being built" with lacking information. Operation Headed by Former Soldier Per the American authorities, the figure at the centre 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 alleges this individual of having a central role in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the firm. Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for managing a business alleged of handling funds and salaries for the operation employing the mercenaries. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual conducted many wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the official announcement read. Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict In April of this year, the sanctioned individuals set up a company in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global. Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the site was handed over to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher. The sanctioned individuals are listed in official UK documents as holding "starting shares" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control". The two describe the UK as their "country of residence". Effect on the War and Wider Issues The recruitment of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, foot soldiers, trainers, and operators for drones. These drones were key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in surrounding areas. "The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing daily fatalities," said the analyst. "These systems require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a major component of this external assistance." He added that the involvement of penalized persons in a London firm underlined wider worries over the absence of strict vetting when companies are set up. "Owning a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors 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 said. Official Reaction and Continuing Claims A government source said that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and controlling UK companies. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first came to light last year, leading to an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry. One of the mercenaries recently admitted that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher. The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying fighters to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these allegations. A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an immediate end to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the removal of barriers to humanitarian access." They added that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF commanders for their part in the crimes in El Fasher.