🔗 Share this article South American Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies Tucked away near a shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in London lies a squat, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its ordinary facade exists a dark secret: a small second-floor apartment linked to murderous crimes taking place a vast distance to the south. Per British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a international web of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities and genocide. Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of civilians. These contractors 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 cost over 60,000 lives. As reports of atrocities increase, links have been identified between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital. London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Company The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and penalized recently by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF. Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are described in documents at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom. The firm is operational. The following day the US treasury imposed restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of London. Its new postcode corresponds to a five-star hotel in Covent Garden. Both hotels stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had used their postcodes. "It is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities claims 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 Checks Experts argue the situation raises questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a firm in the British capital. The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide. When asked about the company, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals. Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its online site, set up in May, was marked as "being built" with lacking information. Operation Led by Retired Officer According to the US treasury, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state. The US alleges this individual of playing a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the agency. Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a business accused of processing money and payroll for the operation hiring the mercenaries. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted many bank transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read. Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict In spring of this year, the penalized figures set up a firm in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the camp was handed over to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher. The penalized people are named in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control". Both describe the UK as their "place of residency". Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft. These drones proved instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," added the expert. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this external assistance." He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are set up. "Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym 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 corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and running UK firms. The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from the South American nation's government. One of the fighters recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher. The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations. A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the safety of civilians, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery." They added that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF leaders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.
Tucked away near a shiny soccer ground of a Premier League club in London lies a squat, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its ordinary facade exists a dark secret: a small second-floor apartment linked to murderous crimes taking place a vast distance to the south. Per British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in north London is connected to a international web of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities and genocide. Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted Hundreds of ex-soldiers from Colombia have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, targeted killings, and the systematic murder of civilians. These contractors 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 cost over 60,000 lives. As reports of atrocities increase, links have been identified between the fighters contracted to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital. London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Company The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a corporation called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals named and penalized recently by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to combat for the RSF. Both individuals – Colombian nationals in their 50s – are described in documents at Companies House as living in the United Kingdom. The firm is operational. The following day the US treasury imposed restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the very heart of London. Its new postcode corresponds to a five-star hotel in Covent Garden. Both hotels stated they had no link to Zeuz Global and had no idea why the firm had used their postcodes. "It is of major concern that the primary figures the American authorities claims 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 Checks Experts argue the situation raises questions over how people publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to seemingly set up and run a firm in the British capital. The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide. When asked about the company, Companies House did not respond on whether it had knowledge of the company's activities or verify the location of the sanctioned individuals. Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its online site, set up in May, was marked as "being built" with lacking information. Operation Led by Retired Officer According to the US treasury, the man at the centre of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and retired Colombian military officer based in the Gulf state. The US alleges this individual of playing a key part in hiring former Colombian soldiers to be deployed to Sudan using a Bogotá-based recruitment firm. His spouse was also penalized for owning and managing the agency. Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for overseeing a business accused of processing money and payroll for the operation hiring the mercenaries. "In 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted many bank transactions, totalling millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read. Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict In spring of this year, the penalized figures set up a firm in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, slaughtering more than 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the camp was handed over to the hired fighters, who began planning for attacking El Fasher. The penalized people are named in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one named as a person of "significant control". Both describe the UK as their "place of residency". Impact on the Conflict and Broader Concerns The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and operators for unmanned aircraft. These drones proved instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during combat in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," added the expert. "These weapons require external help to operate. We know that the recruitment network has been a significant part of this external assistance." He noted that the participation of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are set up. "Having a UK company like this is a passport for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a gym 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 corporate officers would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and running UK firms. The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from the South American nation's government. One of the fighters recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher. The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A report alleged that UAE nationals providing fighters to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations. A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the safety of civilians, and the removal of barriers to aid delivery." They added that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF leaders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.