🔗 Share this article South American Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Reportedly Recruited by UK-Registered Firms Tucked away near a shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a dark secret: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to deadly crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south. Per UK government records, this apartment in north London is tied to a international network of companies involved in the mass recruitment of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities and genocide. Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of civilians. Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives. As reports of atrocities increase, links have been found between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital. UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Firm The flat in Tottenham is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF. Both figures – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in records at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom. The company remains operational. The day after the United States announced restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of central London. Its new postcode matches one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden. The establishments in question said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had listed their addresses. "It is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan. Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Checks Analysts say the situation raises concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the British capital. The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, torture and assault" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide. When questioned about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or confirm the location of the penalized people. Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details. Operation Headed by Retired Officer According to the US treasury, the man at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the Gulf state. The US accuses this individual of having a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for running the firm. Another dual national was also sanctioned for managing a business alleged of processing money and payroll for the network employing the Colombian fighters. "During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read. Company Registration and Escalating Violence In spring of this year, the penalized figures registered a company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher. The penalized people are named in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one named as a person of "significant control". The two list the UK as their "place of residency". Effect on the War and Wider Issues The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for drones. These drones were key in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," said the analyst. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a significant part of this external assistance." He noted that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the lack of strict vetting when companies are set up. "Having a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do deals with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said. Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations A UK official said that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK companies. The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry. One of the fighters recently admitted that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher. The UAE, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations. A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an halt to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access." They added that the UK had recently imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.
Tucked away near a shiny soccer ground of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Beyond its unremarkable beige brickwork exists a dark secret: a cramped second-floor apartment connected to deadly crimes unfolding a vast distance to the south. Per UK government records, this apartment in north London is tied to a international network of companies involved in the mass recruitment of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside paramilitaries charged of myriad atrocities and genocide. Hundreds of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been enlisted to serve with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group blamed for sexual violence, ethnic slaughter, and the widespread killing of civilians. Colombian mercenaries were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a wave of violence that experts believe has claimed over 60,000 lives. As reports of atrocities increase, links have been found between the fighters hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the UK capital. UK Address Linked to Sanctioned Firm The flat in Tottenham is listed to a company called Zeuz Global, set up by two people identified and sanctioned last week by the American authorities for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to combat for the RSF. Both figures – Colombian nationals in their fifties – are listed in records at Companies House as resident in the United Kingdom. The company remains operational. The day after the United States announced restrictions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its official location to the centre of central London. Its new postcode matches one luxury accommodation in Covent Garden. The establishments in question said they had no connection to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had listed their addresses. "It is of serious worry that the primary figures the US government claims are orchestrating this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company operating from a apartment in the capital," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and ex-participant of a United Nations group on Sudan. Concerns Voiced Over British Firm Checks Analysts say the situation raises concerns over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "fueling the conflict in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the British capital. The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, torture and assault" following the faction's capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide. When questioned about the company, Companies House did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or confirm the location of the penalized people. Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, created in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details. Operation Headed by Retired Officer According to the US treasury, the man at the heart of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a dual Colombian-Italian national and former army officer located in the Gulf state. The US accuses this individual of having a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be sent to Sudan using a Colombian recruitment firm. His wife was also penalized for running the firm. Another dual national was also sanctioned for managing a business alleged of processing money and payroll for the network employing the Colombian fighters. "During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms associated with this individual conducted numerous bank transactions, totalling many millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement read. Company Registration and Escalating Violence In spring of this year, the penalized figures registered a company in north London called ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global. Three days later, the RSF attacked the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was handed over to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for assaulting El Fasher. The penalized people are named in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one named as a person of "significant control". The two list the UK as their "place of residency". Effect on the War and Wider Issues The recruitment of the Colombians has had a significant effect on the trajectory of the conflict, experts state. These fighters have allegedly trained children to be combatants, as well as acting as snipers, foot soldiers, instructors, and pilots for drones. These drones were key in the capture of El Fasher and during combat in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with precision munitions and remote aircraft causing regular fatalities," said the analyst. "These weapons require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a significant part of this external assistance." He noted that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the lack of strict vetting when companies are set up. "Having a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do deals with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to establish a UK company," he said. Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations A UK official said that the new rollout of "mandatory identity verification" for corporate officers would provide more confidence about who was establishing and running UK companies. The role of the South Americans in Sudan first came to light last year, prompting an apology from Colombia’s foreign ministry. One of the fighters recently admitted that he had trained children in Sudan and seen combat in El Fasher. The UAE, repeatedly alleged of arming the RSF, has also been linked to the recruitment of the contractors. A investigation alleged that Emirati business people providing Colombians to the RSF were linked to a senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations. A UK official said: "The UK is demanding an halt to atrocities, the safety of civilians, and the lifting of barriers to humanitarian access." They added that the UK had recently imposed restrictions on RSF leaders for their role in the atrocities in El Fasher.