South American Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Firms

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

According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a international network of companies implicated in the mass hiring of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries accused of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing.

Scores of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited

A large number of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been enlisted to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group responsible for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of civilians.

These contractors were directly involved in the RSF's capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which sparked a killing frenzy that analysts say has claimed over 60,000 lives.

As accounts of violence increase, connections have been found between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the city of London.

UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Company

The flat in Tottenham is registered to a corporation called Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for hiring contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are described in records at the UK company registry as living in the United Kingdom.

The company remains operational. The following day the United States announced sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its official location to the very heart of central London. Its new postcode matches a five-star hotel in Covent Garden.

The establishments in question said they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the company had listed their postcodes.

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

Concerns Voiced Over UK Company Oversight

Experts argue the situation highlights questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently establish and operate a firm in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has condemned the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the faction'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 knowledge of the company's operations or confirm the location of the penalized people.

Contacting Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, created in spring, was marked as "under construction" with lacking information.

Network Led by Retired Officer

According to the American authorities, the man at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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 wife was also penalized for running the firm.

Another individual with two citizenships was similarly censured for overseeing a business accused of processing money and salaries for the network hiring the mercenaries.

"During 2024 and 2025, companies in America linked with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement said.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In April of this year, the penalized figures registered a firm in the UK capital called ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing over 1,500 civilians. After its seizure, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher.

The penalized people are named in Companies House records as holding "starting shares" in the firm, with one identified as a person of "significant control".

The two list Britain as their "country of residence".

Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the war, analysts say. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft 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 daily civilian deaths," added the expert. "These weapons 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 involvement of sanctioned individuals in a London firm underlined wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when companies are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do deals with respectable entities. It's still harder to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said.

Official Reaction and Continuing Claims

A government source said that the recent introduction of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and running UK companies.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

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

The UAE, long accused of arming the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were connected to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims.

A British government spokesperson said: "The UK is demanding an halt to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access."

They added that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.