🔗 Share this article South American Contractors in the Sudanese Conflict Allegedly Recruited by British-Based Companies Tucked away close to a shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital is a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork exists a grim secret: a cramped flat linked to murderous atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south. Per UK government records, this apartment in north London is tied to a international network of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside militias accused of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Scores of Former Colombian Military Enlisted Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of women and children. These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives. While reports of violence mount, connections have been identified between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London. London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm The flat in north London is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF. Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are described in records at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom. The firm is active. The following day the United States announced sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of London. Its updated address 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 company had used their postcodes. "It is of major concern that the key individuals the American authorities claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in north London," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan. Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks Experts argue the saga highlights questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a company in the UK capital. The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and sexual violence" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide. When asked about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or confirm the residency status of the penalized people. Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details. Network Led by Former Soldier According to the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the South American recruitment operation 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 hiring former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm. Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a business accused of processing money and salaries for the operation employing the mercenaries. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement said. Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict In spring of this year, the sanctioned individuals registered a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global. Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher. The penalized people are named in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one identified as a key controller. The two list the UK as their "country of residence". Effect on the War and Wider Issues The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for drones. These drones were instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," said the analyst. "These weapons require external help 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 highlighted wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are established. "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 stated. Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations A government source said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and controlling UK firms. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an apology from the South American nation's government. One of the fighters recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher. The United Arab Emirates, long accused of supplying weapons to 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 senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations. A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery." They noted that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF leaders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.
Tucked away close to a shiny football stadium of a Premier League club in the British capital is a squat, unremarkable apartment building. Behind its ordinary beige brickwork exists a grim secret: a cramped flat linked to murderous atrocities unfolding a vast distance to the south. Per UK government records, this apartment in north London is tied to a international network of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to fight in the African nation alongside militias accused of myriad war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Scores of Former Colombian Military Enlisted Hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to fight with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction responsible for sexual violence, targeted killings, and the widespread murder of women and children. These contractors were directly involved in the paramilitaries’ seizure of the south-western Sudanese city of El Fasher in late October, which triggered a killing frenzy that experts believe has claimed at least 60,000 lives. While reports of violence mount, connections have been identified between the mercenaries hired to capture El Fasher and addresses in the city of London. London Flat Connected to Sanctioned Firm The flat in north London is registered to a company called Zeuz Global, established by two individuals identified and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for hiring Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF. Both figures – citizens of Colombia in their 50s – are described in records at the UK company registry as resident in the United Kingdom. The firm is active. The following day the United States announced sanctions on those behind the recruitment network, Zeuz Global abruptly moved its registered address to the centre of London. Its updated address 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 company had used their postcodes. "It is of major concern that the key individuals the American authorities claims are directing this fighter recruitment have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in north London," said Mike Lewis, a analyst and former member of a United Nations group on Sudan. Questions Raised Over UK Company Checks Experts argue the saga highlights questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to seemingly establish and operate a company in the UK capital. The British foreign secretary has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and sexual violence" following the group’s seizure of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide. When asked about the company, the registry did not respond on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or confirm the residency status of the penalized people. Reaching out to Zeuz proved fruitless; its website, set up in spring, was marked as "being built" with no contact details. Network Led by Former Soldier According to the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the South American recruitment operation 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 hiring former Colombian soldiers to be sent to Sudan using a Bogotá-based employment agency. His wife was also sanctioned for owning and managing the firm. Another individual with two citizenships was also sanctioned for managing a business accused of processing money and salaries for the operation employing the mercenaries. "In 2024 and 2025, companies in America associated with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the official announcement said. Company Registration and Intensifying Conflict In spring of this year, the sanctioned individuals registered a company in the UK capital named ODP8 Ltd – later renamed Zeuz Global. Shortly after, the RSF assaulted the Zamzam camp for displaced people, killing over 1,500 innocent people. After its seizure, the site was transferred to the hired fighters, who began preparations for attacking El Fasher. The penalized people are named in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the firm, with one identified as a key controller. The two list the UK as their "country of residence". Effect on the War and Wider Issues The recruitment of the South Americans has had a significant effect on the course of the conflict, analysts say. These fighters have reportedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as serving as snipers, infantrymen, trainers, and operators for drones. These drones were instrumental in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions. "The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and long-range drones causing regular fatalities," said the analyst. "These weapons require external help 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 highlighted wider worries over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are established. "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 stated. Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations A government source said that the recent introduction of "mandatory identity verification" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was establishing and controlling UK firms. The Colombians’ involvement in Sudan first emerged last year, prompting an apology from the South American nation's government. One of the fighters recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher. The United Arab Emirates, long accused of supplying weapons to 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 senior UAE government official. The UAE has consistently denied these allegations. A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is calling for an immediate end to violence, the protection of non-combatants, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery." They noted that the UK had recently sanctioned RSF leaders for their part in the atrocities in El Fasher.