🔗 Share this article South American Mercenaries in Sudan Reportedly Hired by UK-Registered Firms Tucked away near the gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a squat, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its unremarkable facade lies a dark reality: a small second-floor apartment linked to deadly crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south. According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a transnational web of firms involved in the large-scale hiring of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing. Hundreds of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of civilians. These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives. While accounts of violence increase, links have been identified between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London. London Flat Connected to Censured Company The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF. Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom. The firm remains active. The day after the US treasury announced sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its updated address matches one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden. The establishments in question said they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had listed their postcodes. "This is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities claims are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan. Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight Experts argue the saga raises questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the UK capital. The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide. When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or verify the residency status of the sanctioned individuals. Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, set up in spring, was labelled as "being built" with no contact details. Network Led by Retired Officer Per the American authorities, the man at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer based in the Gulf state. The US alleges this individual of playing a key part in recruiting ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for running the firm. Another dual national was also sanctioned for managing a business accused of processing money and payroll for the operation hiring the mercenaries. "During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said. Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher. The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control". Both describe Britain as their "place of residency". Effect on the Conflict and Wider Issues The hiring of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and pilots for drones. These drones proved key in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing daily 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 wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when firms are established. "Having a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said. Government Response and Continuing Claims A government source said that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" 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 fighters recently confirmed that he had trained children in Sudan and fought in El Fasher. The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims. A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access." They noted that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.
Tucked away near the gleaming football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in the British capital is a squat, unremarkable block of flats. Behind its unremarkable facade lies a dark reality: a small second-floor apartment linked to deadly crimes unfolding thousands of miles to the south. According to UK government records, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a transnational web of firms involved in the large-scale hiring of fighters to combat in Sudan alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities and ethnic cleansing. Hundreds of Ex- Colombian Military Recruited Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to serve with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic killing of civilians. These contractors were key participants in the paramilitaries’ capture of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives. While accounts of violence increase, links have been identified between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London. London Flat Connected to Censured Company The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two individuals named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF. Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in documents at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom. The firm remains active. The day after the US treasury announced sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of central London. Its updated address matches one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden. The establishments in question said they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the firm had listed their postcodes. "This is of serious worry that the key individuals the American authorities claims are orchestrating this mercenary supply have been able to set up a UK company based from a flat in the capital," stated Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a UN panel on Sudan. Questions Raised Over British Firm Oversight Experts argue the saga raises questions over how individuals openly censured by the US for "contributing to the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a firm in the UK capital. The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been charged by the US with acts of genocide. When asked about Zeuz Global, the registry did not comment on whether it had knowledge of the firm’s operations or verify the residency status of the sanctioned individuals. Contacting Zeuz was fruitless; its online site, set up in spring, was labelled as "being built" with no contact details. Network Led by Retired Officer Per the American authorities, the man at the heart of the South American recruitment operation for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer based in the Gulf state. The US alleges this individual of playing a key part in recruiting ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for running the firm. Another dual national was also sanctioned for managing a business accused of processing money and payroll for the operation hiring the mercenaries. "During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual engaged in many wire transfers, amounting to many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said. Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict In April of the current year, the sanctioned individuals registered a firm in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the camp was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher. The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as holding "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one identified as a person of "significant control". Both describe Britain as their "place of residency". Effect on the Conflict and Wider Issues The hiring of the Colombians has had a profound impact on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, instructors, and pilots for drones. These drones proved key in the capture of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a hi-tech one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing daily 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 wider worries over the lack of strict vetting when firms are established. "Having a UK company like this is a license for bad actors to do business with legitimate counterparts. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he said. Government Response and Continuing Claims A government source said that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" 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 fighters recently confirmed that he had trained children in Sudan and fought in El Fasher. The UAE, long accused of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the hiring of Colombian mercenaries. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people supplying Colombians to the RSF were connected to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has repeatedly rejected these claims. A UK official commented: "The UK is calling for an halt to violence, the safety of non-combatants, and the lifting of obstacles to humanitarian access." They noted that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.